To Catch a Thief
by Jellybob 15
Summary: Koenma sends Yusuke on a mission to catch a thief, Kano, who happens to be Botan's brother. With Botan's brother after three precious artifacts and a grudge against his sister, will Yusuke be able to save them both? Yusuke and Botan! COMPLETED!
1. Her Farewell

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or anything relating to the anime. 

A/N: This is my first YYH fiction, but not my first fic. ANYWAY, it is going to be Botan/Yusuke, so if you do not approve of this couple I suggest you hit that lovely back button on your toolbar. Well, enjoy!

SD=Spirit Detective 

__

Italic= usually a person's thoughts...usually consists of '**'** too. 

*~*~**~*~*_ means the end of a scene. _

Title: _To Catch a Thief _

Chapter One: _Her Farewell _

Yusuke Urameshi twirled in his seat a couple of times as he waited impatiently for his girlfriend, Keiko, to show up at the restaurant he was currently in. As he looked from his watch to the restaurant entrance, he couldn't help but grow worried. Ever since he became a Spirit Detective, Keiko was usually the main target in different situations and dangerous SD cases. He sighed and rose to his feet to look for his missing companion. That is, until he saw her run into the restaurant with a weary look planted on her face. 

"Keiko!" 

Her ears perked up once she heard Yusuke call her name. She turned toward the direction she heard his voice, and smiled weakly. He smiled back and signaled her over. After straightening her skirt to perfection, she walked toward the table he was sitting at and quietly sat across from him. 

Yusuke cleared his throat. "Didn't expect me so early, huh?" 

"Yeah," she looked into his eyes, "why is that?" 

"I didn't want to get yelled at by my girlfriend." He said sarcastically, as he put a toothpick in his mouth. 

"She must be really strict." Keiko said, playing along. 

"Yeah, but I love her anyway." He said as he put his hand on top of hers. 

Keiko's eyes lowered. 

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Yusuke asked rudely, noticing her actions. 

She didn't answer. 

"Keiko, you know you can tell me anything, right?" 

"I know, "she added hastily, "that's why I brought you here." 

Yusuke didn't know what to say, so he sat there and waited for her to continue. 

"Yusuke," she paused and looked into his eyes. "Please understand what I am about to say." 

"Well, you already know that half the stuff you say I don't under-" 

"Yusuke. Try to be serious." She said as she pulled her hand from below his. 

He nodded. 

"I wanted to tell you that I am going-" 

She stopped again, not wanted to see Yusuke's reaction to what she was about to say. 

"Keiko?" He asked with a worried tone. 

"Yusuke, I'm....I'm....goingofftocollege!" She spat out quickly. 

He cocked an eyebrow up. "College? You?" 

"Yes, but that's not all," she took his hand in hers, "it's in New York." 

"New York?" He asked, still stunned about the turn of events. 

"Yes....and that means that I won't be able to see-" 

"I know." He interrupted. 

She glanced over at Yusuke, who was now looking down at the well-polished table they were sitting at. She hoped that he wasn't too disappointed at the arrangement. After all, she would try her best to keep in touch with him and even come back to Japan during her vacation time. 

"I'm sorry, it's not like-" 

"No, don't be." He looked up. "You're a smart girl, Keiko, I should have been expecting this at the very time we started going out. Don't let me drag you down, go off to college." 

"Yusuke, don't say that! You never drag me down!" 

He sighed. "Keiko, the point is for you to get an education and a job, right?" 

She didn't answer. 

"Right." He said, mimicking Keiko's voice.

She hid a smile that was visible to Yusuke. 

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You're not mad about this?" 

"It doesn't matter if I am mad or not, this is your choice." 

__

Her choice. 

Her parents told her the same thing. She grimaced at the thought and looked back at Yusuke, whose eyes where now covered by his bangs. She brushed them out and touched his warm cheek gently. 

"I know, Yusuke." She smiled. "I just wanted your input." 

He smiled back. "And I told you what I thought." 

"Yeah...so it's settled." She said softly. "College here I come." 

"Ya know," he leaned his chair back a couple of centimeters, "I'm going to miss you." 

"Wow, Yusuke has a soft side....I would have never guessed." 

"Yeah, but don't tell Kuwabara....he might want to hit on me." Yusuke noted. 

"Yusuke!" Keiko said as she shoved him roughly. 

"What?" He asked innocently. 

Keiko rolled her eyes and sighed. 

"Anyway..." Keiko said, trying to change the subject. 

"Ohh...when do you plan on leaving...to go to New York?" 

Her face turned more serious. "Next week." 

"Geez. _We _just graduated from HS two weeks ago!" He said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I know, but I do have to find an apartment and a lot of other things...than when I am settled I will attend the college there. I think that is fair enough, right?" 

Now Yusuke was the one to shrug his shoulders. 

"I guess..." He said. 

She smiled at a confused Yusuke and looked at the clock on the wall near the cash register. Her eyes widened with shock. She was late for work. She picked up her purse and stood up. 

"I'm sorry, Yusuke, I have to get to work." She said hurriedly. 

He nodded and walked her toward the door. She quickly smiled and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Thanks so much, Yusuke." 

He didn't know why she was thanking him, but he nodded. 

"Be good." 

She smiled and said, "I will." 

That's when Yusuke shaped his hand into a gun. 

She did the same. 

__

"Bang!" 

*~*~**~*~*

That was the last time Yusuke saw her. Not a call or a letter since that day. He would be worried about her well-being, but her parents usually kept him updated on her college life. He sighed. Even though he knew she was safe, why couldn't she tell him that herself? It was like if she went to college to get away from....him. 

His legs froze, preventing him from continuing his walk around the neighborhood. 

It couldn't be true. Keiko wasn't that kind of person, at least, he thought she wasn't. No. He knew her since childhood and trusted her more than his own mother(even if she wasn't a drunk). But, why did she break her promise like that? She said that she would never forget about him. What made her change her mind? As he continued his walk, all his thoughts drifted toward Keiko. 

His friend. His companion. His life. 

*~*~**~*~*

Botan couldn't believe that Koenma had yet another case for the Spirit Detective. He had just finished battling in the Dark Tournament! She guessed that when you are a Spirit Detective, your job would always remain a constant cycle....even if you died. She smiled, remembering the first time she was appointed the job of being Yusuke's guide when he first died. She hated it! She felt that he was a dim-witted, egotistic brat. 

She was wrong. 

After she found out that he was neglected by his mother, and abandoned by his father, she understood why his character developed like so. After Koenma assigned him the job of Spirit Detective, Yusuke became a caring, sharp, dependable individual. And she thought Koenma had chosen the wrong person! 

As she reminisced about her first days with Yusuke, she soon came to her senses to find Koenma beside her with a paddle in his hand. Her eyes widened with alarm. 

Not the paddle....

"I thought I told you to get Yusuke! Good for nothing girl! You'll get six beatings for this!" 

She heard as she quickly materialized her oar and headed for Yusuke's house. She couldn't believe Koenma! If he wasn't the head chief of Spirit World...she'd....she'd......take that pacifier and BURN IT! 

"No, Botan, you would probably lose your job and then some..." She said as she flew toward his house. 

As she landed on the steps to his house, she made her oar disappear into thin air. She was about to knock when she heard a voice from behind her. Yusuke. She turned around to see Yusuke walk toward her. 

"Hallo there, Yusuke!" She said, with a bit of British tongue. 

Yusuke shifted his weight to one leg and asked, "what does pacifier-face want now?" 

She was about to tell him that appearance did not matter in Spirit World. It was how you got the job done. And surely, Yusuke was not considering the idea of thinking of Koenma as a....well...mature adult. She ignored his insult and put her hands on her hips to show that she did hear his remark. 

"A mission, I suppose." She said. 

"Can't Koenma handle anything by himself?" Yusuke asked as he brushed a hand through his hair. 

"Why does he have to do it when you're around?" Botan asked as Yusuke did an anime-fall. 

He stood up and glared at Botan. "Why are you always on his side?" 

Botan cocked an eyebrow up at the unusual question he asked her. She dismissed it and materialized her oar again. As she hopped on it, she patted it gently for him to join her. He obeyed and sat on the silly contraption. 

"Off we go!" She said as they floated smoothly into the air. 

Yusuke breathed in the fresh air that was heading into his nostrils as they took off. Finally. Something to take his mind off of Keiko. As they glided through the sky, Yusuke could see Spirit World come into view. 

He wondered what the mission could be? 

*~*~**~*~*

"Took you long enough to get here!" 

Yusuke could hear Koenma yell as they walked into his office. He didn't look too happy. He had at least three stacks of paper that were taller than him(Yusuke) on his desk. As Yusuke sat in a chair near his desk, Koenma kicked a stack off his desk and glared at Yusuke. 

"Umm...I guess this would be a bad time to ask for a raise, huh?" Yusuke asked sarcastically. 

Koenma was not amused. He looked.....serious. 

"Ummm...Koenma sir?" Botan asked, trying to break the tension in the room. 

Koenma turned to her. "What is it now?" 

"You wanted to talk about the mission...." She said as he sighed and sat in his seat. 

"Yes," he said, "but this is private business, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." 

Botan blinked. "....yes, sir." 

After Yusuke heard the door close behind Botan, he asked, "what was that all about?" 

"This case," he paused, "has hit very close to home." 

"You mean it has something to do with....Botan?" Yusuke questioned.

"Let me show you something before I explain." He sighed. "OGRE!" 

As Koenma breathed those last four letters, Ogre, his assistant, came running into the room. 

"Yes....Koenma, sir?" Ogre asked as he bowed his head. 

Koenma tilted his seat back a little bit and said, "my remote, please." 

Ogre stared at him. "Sir, it's right by your hand..." 

"And?" Koenma asked as everyone, but Koenma, sweat-dropped in the room. 

Ogre picked up the remote and handed it to him. "Here you are, sir." 

"Thank you." Koenma said as Ogre left the room. 

Yusuke stared at him with interest. 

"Everything will be explained on the tape," he said as he turned the t.v. set behind them on. 

Yusuke turned his head around to see a heavy-set man, wearing a tailored suit, sit beside a coffee table with a newspaper in his hand. His hair had seen better days, and his eyes had dark lines under them. In other words, something was troubling him. It was troubling him so badly that sleep seemed to be the last thing on his mind and grooming himself became effortless. He looked straight ahead and cleared his throat. 

__

"I am sending you this tape to inform you that Kano has returned. I know this may be difficult to understand, considering that he was exiled to Siberia three years ago, but he has returned....in his human form. My private team of officers are already on the case, but we need someone experienced. I have discovered that the ideal man for the job is your Spirit Detective, Yusuke Urameshi. Please, Koenma, send him as soon as possible. I will include everything he will need along with this tape........"

The screen went snowy. 

"Well, what do you have to say?" 

Yusuke wiped some drool off the side of his face and yawned. 

"What happened?" 

Koenma threw the remote at him and jumped on top of his desk to make eye contact with Yusuke. Yusuke, in shock, stood up quickly, only to let his chair topple over. Meanwhile, Botan put her ear to the door to find out what all the noise was about, but heard nothing. She gritted her teeth, thinking the worst, and opened the door quietly to investigate. As she peeked her head through, she could see Koenma flailing his arms in a tantrum. 

"DO YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT WAS! KANO IS VERY DANG-" 

Botan's heart stopped, as did Koenma's. Yusuke stared at the two. 

"Koenma, please tell me," she paused and swallowed hard. "Is my brother still alive?" 

__

~To be continued.....~

How did you like it? I thought it was pretty good considering that it was my first Yu Yu Hakusho fic. Well, what do you think happened to Keiko? Hmmmm....guess you're going to have to find out in due time, my friend. Stay tuned for the next chapter!!! There's a little surprise(don't worry it's good) for Yusuke/Botan fans. 

__


	2. The mission

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or anything relating to the anime. 

A/N: This _will_ be a Yusuke/Botan fanfic. I know you're probably thinking that Keiko will be in the way, but once you see what has become of her.....you won't think that. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and sorry for not getting this up sooner. 

SD=Spirit Detective 

BOA= Bureau of Apparition 

__

Italic= _usually a person's thoughts....._

Italic with * =_person communicating telepathically _

*~*~**~*~*_ means the end of a scene. _

Title: _To Catch a Thief _

Chapter Two: _The mission _

"Is my brother still alive?" 

Koenma was afraid this question would come up for months. He even thought up an answer if Botan were to ever find out the truth, but now, his mind was as lost as his words. He smacked himself mentally for practicing with Ogre and looked up from his desk to meet Botan's angry eyes. He had to think of something fast, but what? He thought about it for a moment, that is, until something came to mind. 

"Ohh...did I say Kano?" He said hastily, "I meant-"

Botan glared at him. "Answer my question, Koenma."

Yusuke had never seen Botan this mad before. He could tell that it just _wasn't_ from Koenma's lie. It also had to do with the fact that her brother was still alive. _Was her brother that bad? _

"Botan, let me explain-" 

"There's nothing to explain, Koenma," Botan interrupted, "now answer my question." 

Yusuke was taken back by Botan's new attitude toward her boss. But, as Yusuke averted his eyes to Koenma, he didn't look a bit surprised by Botan's actions. Yusuke was confused at the sudden turn of the tables. Usually Botan had the utmost respect for the chief of Spirit World. 

"Mind your temper, girl," Koenma said seriously, "remember who you are talking to." 

"Oh....and who am I talking to? The idiot that let my brother escape maybe?" Botan spat out. 

Konema slammed his fist against his desk. "That's enough! You know I have no authority over that matter! If your brother escaped, it was in the hands of the Bureau of Apparition! Not mine!" 

Botan's face fell, knowing that Koenma was right. The Bureau of Apparition was in charge of all misdemeanors committed by Spirit World criminals-including her brother, Kano. She shuddered at the thought of her twin brother. Why was he still alive? She couldn't understand how he survived. 

"I'm sorry, Koenma, I really don't know what came over me." Botan said as she put her face in her hands. "The thought of my brother just makes me feel a little uneasy." 

Koenma frowned. "I know you're upset about Kano, but now is not the time to play the blame game. We need to figure out a way to track down your brother and make sure he doesn't try to harm anyone again." 

Botan nodded slowly and glanced over to Yusuke, who was still appalled by Botan's anger. He never thought Botan really had it in her to actually...._get angry. _She was the happiest person Yusuke had ever met. Why had the issue of her brother send Botan off the deep-end? He needed to know. 

"Umm....Botan?" He asked as she nodded for him to continue. "Why is Kano so dangerous?" 

"You see, Yusuke," she paused, "along with his excellent skill in martial arts, Kano has the power of telepathy, which he acquired from my father's side. It doesn't seem like much, but over the past years, Kano grew fond of combining these two techniques to....steal." Botan took a deep breath. "He would steal everything and anything that caught his eye, even if it meant killing someone in the process." 

Yusuke's eyes widened at the last sentence. He couldn't believe that someone related to Botan could actually kill someone. I mean, he thought that if he knew Botan, he would probably know everyone related to her. It wasn't the case here. This guy was a thief and a murderer. 

"Wait," Yusuke asked curiously, "why was he exiled then?" 

Botan turned to Yusuke. "Well Yusuke, there was a time when...." 

*~*~**~*~*FLASHBACK*~*~**~*~*

"Hello sister." 

Botan looked at the man in front of her. He looked twenty years of age, even though he was into the triple digits now, and stood at about six feet. His hair was a dirty blonde, with a streak of blue on the sides, and put into a ponytail. He was a thin man, but his muscles gave him a brawny look. Finally, his arms were full of tattoos. Botan guessed that each tattoo had the name of one of his victims. 

"Why....are you here?" Botan asked, knowing that her brother was wanted by the BOA. 

He smiled. "I have a proposition for you." 

"Take it somewhere else," Botan said as she turned away from him. 

"EH! You won't become the _new _chief of Spirit World's assistant with that attitude." He smiled. 

"What?" Botan turned around and looked at him. 

"I plan to steal Spirit World's Imperial Seal tonight. Once I have that in my possession, everyone will name me the chief of Spirit World.....even you, sis." He said as he put his hands on her shoulders. 

"Why are you telling me this?" Botan asked inquiringly ."I can turn you in to the BOA, you know." 

"I'm trying to save you, Botan." He smiled. "Why would I want to rule Spirit World anyway? I decided that I'm going to destroy Spirit World and make a new one on that planet over there." He said as he pointed to Earth. "Now, I would hate to see my own blood killed by my two hands. Will you fall like the rest of them, or join me?" 

Botan smiled to herself, waiting for this opportunity. "Fine. I'll join you." 

"That's my Botan," he smiled, "but, before we begin....we need to go to Earth and bring back some of my other loyal servants. Can you distract the guards so I can pass without being seen?" 

"It should be a simple task..." Botan said through clenched teeth. 

"Lets begin the takeover." Kano said as Botan nodded. 

__

"Lets." 

*~*~**~*~*

"Okay, the guards are taken care of." Botan said, looking around conspicuously for a sign.

Kano smiled and directed her into a small arch. "Into the portal to Earth then." 

As they walked through the portal, Botan stopped halfway and looked at Kano. She finally saw the sign she was waiting for. She looked around and waited for Kano to stop and look at her. 

"What's wrong?"

Botan waited for him to step forward a little bit more before yelling, "NOW!" 

Kano didn't know what was going on until Botan moved through the Spirit World portal and sealed it, as did some officers at the portal toward Earth. Botan tricked him and now he was stuck between Earth and Spirit World without a way to get out. No. He had to get out of here. He tried to use the Spirit Wave technique to break the seal, but it had no effect on the seal. That's when he felt something hit his chest. It was the Spirit Wave technique that he used on the seal. But how? Wait, the portal must be using his energy against him. He fell to his knees in pain. As he felt the rest of his energy being drained, he had enough to send a telepathic message to his sister-the traitor. 

__

'You....will.....pay....' 

Botan swallowed hard and ignored his chilling message. The deed was done. Her brother would now find himself in the wasteland of Siberia. She couldn't believe what she just did, but the Bureau of Apparition had told her of Kano's plans to rule Earth as another Spirit World. She wouldn't let that happen. So, she joined forces with the Bureau and tricked her own brother into thinking she would actually help him destroy Spirit World. 

*~*~**~*~*END FLASHBACK*~*~**~*~*

Botan sighed and ran a hand through her pale blue hair. "I don't know how he escaped Siberia, you see Yusuke, once you are trapped between two worlds....your energy is used against you. Once all your energy is drained the ancient seal (that the BOA used) between the two worlds is broken....and in most cases you are either dead or the BOA exiles the criminal." 

"So, Kano was exiled......" Yusuke said to himself. 

Botan nodded. "We thought that he would never escape from the inner depths of Siberia." 

Botan's statement was followed by a long silence between the three, that is, until they started hearing a constant munching coming from the side of the room. They looked over to see Ogre indulging in a bowl of beef stew. When he realized that everyone had their eyes on him, he quietly put his chopsticks down and waved at the three. "Oh sorry, long stories always make me hungry." 

"OGRE!" Koenma yelled as Ogre ran over to Koenma's side. 

"Yes Koenma, sir?" He said softly as Koenma looked up at him. 

"Tell me something," he paused and grunted slightly. 

Ogre looked at the serious-looking Koenma. "Sir?" 

Koenma shook his head disapprovingly as if he was upset about Ogre eating at a time like this. Ogre put his head down and waited for Koenma to give him the paddle. But instead, Ogre got an earful of.........

"WHY DIDN'T YOU MAKE ANY FOR ME!?" Koenma yelled as he bonked him with the bowl. 

Yusuke and Botan both sweat-dropped at the situation before them. 

*~*~**~*~*

"Koenma!" 

Koenma looked up from his desk to see one of his assistants wave a paper in the air. He put it down on Koenma's desk and said that it was from the Bureau of Apparition. Yusuke and Botan watched as Koenma read the letter carefully. After reading, Koenma looked up and said, "the BOA just got word that there was a robbery in one of the antique shops in lower Japan. There not sure what he stole, but they are sure that it was Kano." 

Yusuke frowned. "Why would he want to rob an antique store? Talk about desperate." 

"Don't be too sure, Yusuke." Koenma said as Botan looked at him. "He could be up to something." 

"An antique store...." Botan whispered as she stroked her chin. 

Koenma shrugged his shoulders, "well, at least we got a lead." 

"So, should I be on my way?" Yusuke asked as he stood up. 

"No," Koenma said as he reached in his drawer for a ring. "Even though Kano is in his human form, he can sense your spirit energy if you get too close to him while you are on your journey. This ring has the power to conceal your spirit energy, that is, while you are wearing it." 

"Oh, I always wanted one of these," Yusuke said as he took the ring and slipped it on his finger. 

Koenma glared at him until Ogre walked into the room with a small phone in hand. 

"Don't forget this, Koenma," Ogre said as he gave the phone to Koenma. 

"Oh yes. You can use this phone to contact me or the BOA." 

"Alright, I think I am ready." Yusuke said as Koenma let out a laugh. 

"What? Are you going to walk down there?" 

"Oh yeah.....how am I getting down there?" Yusuke asked as Koenma jumped off his chair and walked toward a small room next door. He pointed toward a small mirror. 

"What do I do?" Yusuke asked touching the mirror. 

Koenma sighed. "Think about the place you want to go, then walk through." 

"Hmm....and all this time I was using it for seeing my reflection." Yusuke smirked. 

Koenma smacked him upside the head. 

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?" Yusuke yelled. 

"For being an idiot." Koenma smiled. 

"You little-" 

"Alright, lets go!" Botan interrupted as she glanced at the mirror. 

"Where do you think you are going?" Koenma asked curiously. 

Botan cleared her throat. "I'm going with Yusuke." 

"No, it's too risky." Koenma folded his arms. "What if Kano recognizes you?" 

"I can disguise myself." Botan said as Yusuke looked at her. 

"Maybe Koenma is right......" Yusuke added. 

Botan gawked at Yusuke. "Since when do you agree with Koenma!" 

"Hmm....you actually have a point there...." 

Koenma glared at the two of them. "Botan, as your boss and the chief of Spirit World, I forbid you to go with Yusuke. It's too dangerous. Remember, he's out for revenge." 

Botan sighed and walked out of the room. 

"Eh! What are you looking at, Yusuke? Get your lazy butt to Japan!" 

"Whatever you say, Koenma," Yusuke said as he closed his eyes and said 'lower Japan' three times to himself. That's when he walked through the mirror to find himself.......

__

~To be continued......~

Sorry it took so long to get this chappie up! I couldn't decide what powers Kano should have. Go figure! Well, tell me what you think. Oh....and the "surprise" for Yusuke/Botan fans is in the next chapter. Sorry!


	3. Yusuke's Dilemma

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own YYH, but I am the proud owner of YYH DVDS, magazines, and my one-of-a-kind fanfic!

A/N: Sorry about the delay, I couldn't figure out what direction I was going to take this story in. *looks at the author's note she wrote a couple of weeks ago* Ummm...since no one likes the idea of Keiko getting kidnapped....I figured out something else. Thanks for voicing your opinion...and please...if you have any suggestions for this story....I'm all ears! Seriously, that's why I asked if you wanted Keiko kidnapped. I didn't want to write something you guys wouldn't want. ANYWAY, enjoy this chapter!!!!

Title: _To Catch a Thief_

Chapter Three: _Yusuke's Dilemma_

*~*~**~*~*

That's when he walked through the mirror to find himself............

*~*~**~*~*

........in an alley. As he looked around the vicinity, he didn't know where to start. That's when he felt something vibrate against his leg. It was Koenma's communicator. He took the device out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Welcome to Osaka, Japan." Koenma's voice echoed in Yusuke's ear.

Yusuke only shrugged his shoulders and looked around. "So, where to?"

"Hold on.....OGRE!" Koenma yelled as Yusuke pulled the phone away from his ear to save his hearing. "Okay, sources indicate that Kano was last seen at Shika Hotel before he robbed the antique store. That's also the place where you will be staying until Kano is captured. Umm....it's located about three blocks on the left hand side. Good luck, Yusuke."

"Thanks..." Yusuke said as he closed the phone and jammed it into his pocket.

As he walked swiftly toward the hotel, he noticed that all eyes were on him. Growing uncomfortable, he moved quicker with his head down. 'Tough crowd,' Yusuke thought as he walked toward a building that had a sign 'Shika Hotel' on it. He smiled and entered the building. Once inside, Yusuke found himself face-to-face with the gentleman from the video.

"Yusuke Urameshi, I presume?" He asked as Yusuke nodded. "You're late."

"Traffic was horrible." Yusuke said sarcastically as he looked the man up and down.

He seemed to be a fairly dressed gentleman, according to Yusuke's standards, and his rich brown hair brought youth back into his facial features. He stood near Yusuke's height and his gold cane, that he lugged around, spoke volumes about his financial status. As Yusuke continued to glance at him, the gentleman cleared his throat and frowned.

"Cute," the man said as he turned away from Yusuke.

Yusuke smirked. "I heard that Kano robbed an antique store, any idea what he stole?"

"Not exactly," he said as he turned toward Yusuke again. "Everything was intact."

"So...you're saying that he _didn't _steal anything?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He frowned. "About six antiques were sold the day of the robbery. I'm thinking that one of the customers has what Kano is looking for. Don't worry, each customer is under heavy surveillance. Kano won't last long."

"What if Kano just robbed the wrong antique store?" Yusuke asked as the man patted him on the shoulder.

"Kano's not stupid. He knows what he is doing." The man said as he started walking away. "Keep in touch."

"Wait....what am I supposed to do?" Yusuke asked, slightly angry.

"You like being look-out?"

"Not really..."

"Good, meet me tomorrow here at six." The man said as he started walking away again.

"Didn't you hear me, old man!"

"The name is Yuji Hito." He smiled. "See you tomorrow at six."

'Bastard.' Yusuke thought as he watched the man leave the hotel.

Yusuke took out Koenma's communicator and was about to call him when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Yusuke whirled around and looked at the slightly tanned man before him, who smiled and asked, "sir, would you like me to show you to your room?"

Yusuke sighed. "Might as well..."

"Name?" The man asked as he walked behind a counter and opened a book.

"Yusuke Urameshi." He said as the young man looked through the book.

He nodded and said, "follow me, sir."

*~*~**~*~*

"Nice," Yusuke said as he looked around his room.

"We have the finest rooms in town," the young man explained as he put his hand in his pocket. "Here is your key."

"Thanks," Yusuke said as he took the key and walked toward the window.

"Enjoy your stay, sir." The young man said as he closed the door behind him.

Yusuke sighed and took his eyes away from the window. He couldn't believe the case was over before it even started, but then again, he felt that there was more to this case. Almost like if the BOA, really Yuji Hito, was hiding something. Yusuke sighed again thinking of the possibility that it was "all in his head."

"I need to lay down." Yusuke whispered as he rubbed his head.

As he started walking toward the bedroom, he felt Koenma's communicator go off again. He sighed heavily and reached in his pocket to see the face of an adult Koenma. Yusuke was about to say something when Koenma yelled, "ARE YOU A SPIRIT DETECTIVE OR NOT!?"

"Well..."

"WELL NOTHING! LISTEN, I CALLED YOU DOWN THERE SO YOU COULD STOP KANO, NOT SO YOU COULD GET A VACATION!"

"What are you talking about?" Yusuke asked, obviously confused by what Koenma said.

Koenma turned the screen to a small TV. A reporter was broadcasting a report about a robbery in progress at the Sudan Museum in Osaka, which was only two blocks from the hotel. Yusuke gasped and put a hand on his forehead. "This isn't right, I was just talking to Hito. He didn't tell me anything about-"

"Well, go make it right!" Koenma yelled as the screen went snowy.

Yusuke clenched his fist together angrily and ran out the door. _'There's something wrong with that Hito....'_

Yusuke's chest was on fire once he reached the Sudan Museum. It was times like these that he wished he had Botan. As he made his way toward the entrance, he could sense a form of spirit energy nearby. As he put his hand on the door, he felt a hand jerk his shoulder back. He turned around to see a man with a black suit on. "Not so fast, kid. This is the scene of a robbery."

"Exactly, I'm here to investigate." Yusuke said as he turned his attention toward the door.

The man frowned. "I have specific orders from Mr. Hito that nobody is allowed in the museum until he arrives with his crew."

"Give me a break. How do you know the robber has left the scene?"

"Mr. Hito said-"

"That's all I needed." Yusuke said as he opened the door. "Now, if you will excuse me."

"As said before-"

Yusuke's eyebrow lifted up furiously. "Have you ever been hit with a Spirit Gun?"

"No-"

"Want to?"

"Umm..."

That's when Yusuke heard a loud crash from inside. He opened the door hastily and ran inside, leaving the man to yell, "I need back-up! Code 312! Code 312!"

The museum was like a maze. A wrong turn could lead you back where you started from. Yusuke stopped and used his senses to feel the presence of any spirit energy nearby. There was nothing. He was about to give up hope when he heard the sound of glass shatter. Without thinking, he ran in the direction of the sound to catch a glimpse of a shady figure making its way for the exit. Yusuke grinned and ran after the figure, knowing that the figure was low on spirit energy.

Running out the shattered museum door, Yusuke followed the figure toward a narrow alley. As the alley ran deeper, the only thing on Yusuke's mind was to keep sight of the figure. He finally caught his big break when he saw that the alley was a dead end. Yusuke focused his spirit energy into his index finger and was ready to shoot when a thin line of spirit energy brushed passed him toward the figure. The figure made an invisible boundary between him and the energy. The impact of the two forces created a small explosion, but Yusuke could sense that the figure had prevailed. What he couldn't understand was the fact that the figure made a strong barrier with a minimum amount of spirit energy. Wait, who fired that spirit energy?

Yusuke, who was bewildered by the turn of events, slightly turned around to see only smoke from the explosion. He turned back toward where the figure stood. He could still feel his energy. He grinned weakly and carefully went into an attack stance. Focusing his energy into his hand, Yusuke pulled his arm back and swiftly thrust it forward while yelling, "SHOT GUN!" The small spirit bullets dodged into the smoke and met the "supposed" target with a bang. Yusuke breathed in a sigh of relief, while waiting for the smoke to clear. To his dismay, the smoke only revealed a brick wall.

"What?" He asked aloud. "I can still feel his spirit energy."

That's when Yusuke saw a small round object on the floor. He was about to pick it up when someone yelled, "STOP!"

"Who are you?" Yusuke asked once he turned around.

"Kano can transfer his energy into any object he wants. Once touched, the object will self-detinate." The cloaked figure said, not answering his question. "Be more careful in the future."

"So, it was Kano?"

"Indubitably."

Yusuke could tell that it was a woman from the sound of her voice, but what was she doing out here in the first place. Wait, was she the one that fired the Spirit Gun? He cleared his throat and asked what was on his mind.

She looked at him for a second and answered, "yes, that was me."

"What's your beef with Kano?"

She turned around and said, "you will soon learn."

Yusuke put a hand on his forehead. "Why am I not getting any answers today...?"

"Maybe you're looking in the wrong places."

Yusuke watched as the woman walked away without another word.

"Now I really need to lay down....."

*~*~**~*~*

"Why didn't you follow my orders?"

"Sir, the kid was already out the door."

"Listen, I pay you good money. This shouldn't be happening."

"It won't happen again."

Yusuke watched as Hito talked to one of his guards with a dignified tone. Yusuke felt like he was hating Hito more and more every time he saw him. As Hito turned and looked at him, Yusuke refrained from using his Spirit Gun on him. After all, there was witnesses. He would have to wait.

"Mr. Urameshi."

Yusuke growled and decided to get straight to the point. "Why didn't you tell me about the robbery? You had to know if your guards were already there when I arrived."

"You weren't needed." He answered firmly.

Yusuke cocked an eyebrow up. "Really? Why the hell did you make me part of your mission when I'm not even involved."

"Kano turned out to be not as dangerous as I thought."

"Are you serious? Then why isn't he captured?"

"Patience, Urameshi. I'm giving him time to surrender...."

Yusuke's mouth dropped open.

"Now, if you will excuse me." Hito said as he walked away.

"What about tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I'm expecting you to stake-out with my team. I'm pretty sure Kano will be after one of those customers."

"Can't wait." Yusuke said as he rolled his eyes and walked away.

*~*~**~*~*

Yusuke couldn't take it anymore. There was a strange feeling inside of him that said that Hito was indeed working with Kano, but what was in it for him? Hito seemed pretty well off. As Yusuke paced back and forth in his room, he decided to call Koenma up and relieve his suspicions.

"Can't the chief of Spirit World get any sleep around here? Oh....it's you."

"Nice to see you too." Yusuke said as Koenma yawned.

"What is it?"

"I need to ask you something about Hito."

"Go on."

"I think he's working with Kano...." Yusuke spit out.

"Explain your case."

"It seems that he's not even trying to find Kano. He's looking in all the wrong places. He even wants me to play watch dog tomorrow morning."

"Seems possible, but I need evidence." Koenma reasoned.

"He hasn't captured Kano." Yusuke rubbed his neck. "That's all the evidence you need."

"Hmm..." Koenma uttered softly.

"Koenma, you have to believe me."

"I-"

"Koenma, sir! It seems Botan has gone missing after you sent her to retrieve a wandering soul." Ogre said as Koenma frowned.

"That girl is always in some kind of danger. I just hope she didn't get lost in the Killer Thorn patch again...."

Yusuke frowned as Koenma's image was replaced by Ogre's. "Hey, Yusuke! How's the mission!?"

"GEORGE!"

"Oops, better go. Nice talking to ya, Yusuke."

Yusuke sighed and looked out the window. "I know Hito is working with Kano."

As he stood there silently, an idea came to mind. He had to follow Hito and see what he was up to. He smiled and took out Koenma's communicator again. He remembered that Koenma said that he could get in touch with him and the BOA. It was worth a call.

"Yes, Mr. Hito isn't in right now." A woman answered as Yusuke nodded.

"Do you know where he could be found?"

"Sudan museum." She answered. "He brought his team there to investigate."

"Thanks."

Yusuke jammed the communicator in his pocket and made his way for the door.

"I'm sure I'll find Kano there as well....."

*~*~**~*~*

"There he is." Yusuke said as he ducked behind a car. "Now, since I don't want to be found..."

Yusuke took out the ring Koenma gave him and slipped it on. "This should conceal the remainder of my spirit energy."

*~*~**~*~*

"Mr. Hito, I've found a piece of glass that may contain Kano's blood. Should I bring it to the lab?"

Hito examined the glass. "No, I will."

Yusuke followed Hito as he walked out of the museum and stopped to see if anyone was around. Once Hito thought it was clear, he threw the piece of glass down and crushed it with his gold cane. After staring at it for a couple of minutes, he walked back inside.

"Yup, he's not working with Kano." Yusuke said sarcastically as he followed him back inside.

*~*~**~*~*

"Are you sure you don't want a ride home, Mr. Hito?"

"I can manage." He said as his chauffeur sped away.

Once the limo was out of sight, Hito started walking toward the robbed antique store.

"Hmm....they do always return to the scene of the crime..." Yusuke said as Hito stood in front of the antique store.

Yusuke yawned and looked at his watch. It read 11:59 pm. He couldn't believe an old man like Hito could stand around for an hour without moving around or anything. Yusuke was about to give up when he saw a shadowy figure pass by and drop something next to Hito. Hito bent down and grabbed the bag, while pretending to tie his shoe. Yusuke blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"What just happened?" Yusuke whispered as Hito was on the move again.

Yusuke shook his head and followed Hito again. He still couldn't believe that his theory was true. Hito was working with or someone close to Kano. If not, then Hito must be some big druglord. Yusuke chuckled at his accusation and slowly followed Hito again, even though his question was answered.

That's when he sensed the presence of spirit energy moving fast. Was it one of Hito's cronies again? Yusuke stopped and looked around, leaving Hito to walk back toward the Sudan museum. As he stood there waiting for anything, he wasn't expecting an aerial attack. A figure dropped down on top of him and put his hands behind his back.

"Are you working with Kano?"

Yusuke frowned and pushed the figure off. "Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing!"

He pinned the figure down. The figure tried to squirm free, but Yusuke's grip was too strong.

"Get your hands off of me!"

Yusuke recognized the voice. It sounded like that woman from earlier who was warning him about Kano's self-destructive objects. He was about to let her go, when he realized that this was his chance to see who was behind the mask. He brought his hand to her mask and unraveled it. He gasped.

__

'Botan?'

__

~To be continued........~

Yeah I'm finally back in business. Thanks to those who reviewed this story. You guys rock!! ^___^


	4. Victim's Circle

Disclaimer: I wish I was a cat, 'cause Yusuke is my meow mix! {reads what disclaimer is supposed to say}...oh! And I don't own YYH!

A/N: Yes, you can all kill me for not updating. I deserve it. I for one hate when ppl don't update their stories, yet, I'm doing just that. I'm really sorry and hopefully I can finish "To Catch a Thief" by this summer. And don't worry! I finish all the fics that I write so if you still like this fic....I will finish it. Enjoy chapter four!!!!

Title: _To Catch a Thief_

Chapter Four: _Victim's Circle_

====================================

__

"Are you working with Kano?"

Yusuke frowned and pushed the figure off. "Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing!"

He pinned the figure down. The figure tried to squrim free, but Yusuke's grip was too strong.

"Get your hands off of me!"

Yusuke recognized the voice. It sounded like that woman from earlier who was warning him about Kano's self-destructive objects. He was about to let her go, when he realized that this was his chance to see who was behind the mask. He brought his hand to her mask and unraveled it. He gasped.

'Botan?'

====================================

"Yusuke?"

His hazel eyes never left the blue-haired beauty as she pulled herself from under him. Not only was he bewildered to see her, but he was also relieved that it wasn't one of Kano's followers. He had enough adventure for one night. _Wait. _Why was she here?

"What are you doing here?" He whispered, curiosity beneath the fabric of his question.

Her eyes left his face, "I-...Koenma sent me here." Though it was pretty obvious, she couldn't tell him that she disobeyed Koenma to help him with the mission. Instead, she was going to make up some story about Koenma sending her down to do something. Preparing the lie in her head, she failed to notice Yusuke's confused expression.

"That's not possible, Botan, I just talked to Koenma on the communicator..."

"He knows I'm mis--I mean--out on the mission already?!" Laughing nervously, Botan knew she had yet to learn the benefits of thinking before she spoke. She could almost hear Koenma yelling 'get ready for your spankings!' when she returned back to Spirit World.

He cocked an eyebrow up, curving his lips into a mischievous smile, "what are you hiding?"

"H-hiding?....me? Nothing...just always ready to get a head start on a mission!" Her head nodded in agreement, but her words betrayed her. Why did Yusuke have a gift of forcing the truth out of people? Maybe spankings weren't so bad after all.....

"Botan," his face moved closer to hers, "why did you leave Spirit World?" His tone was serious now.

"I wanted to-" Just at that precise moment, she heard something....

"Well?"

She ignored him, finding more importance in rummaging through her pocket. Once she grasped onto the object she was searching for, she pulled it out and looked at the blinking light shown on the small object that looked like a compass. Yusuke looked at the object in her hand, remembering how it served a purpose during his fight with Goki. It was a Demon Compass. Before he could say anything, she whispered, "whoever you were following before is coming back..."

"What?" He jumped up and started looking around. "Where?"

She looked back at the compass, "about two blocks....that way." She pointed to a poorly-lit block. "He's coming at a rapid pace too..." Her eyes remained glued on the device as she fed Yusuke all the information she had on their demon.

"Come on, let's-"

"Who's there!?" A voice boomed, making the walls echo with his loud outcry.

"MEEEEEEEEEEEyyyoooooooooooow..."

Yusuke looked over to Botan, "what the hell was that? Are you TRYING to get us killed?" Though Botan's imitation of feline--a very randy feline--stopped the pursuer in his tracks, Yusuke knew that she nearly got them killed.

"Killed? Heavens, no! I--wait." She brought her hand above her waist and closed her eyes. A small light emitted from her hand and then--POOF--her oar appeared in her hand. "Bingo! I'm surprised I didn't think of this sooner," she hopped on the oar and looked at Yusuke, "let's go before he sees us."

"Right," he climbed on her oar and it soared toward one of the highest buildings in sight. "Good idea, at least he won't be able to find us for a while." She only nodded as the oar skimmed on top of the building and stopped.

"Any idea who that was?" The ferry girl asked once her oar pulled a disappearing act once again.

"Yuji Hito. I think he's working with Kano."

Her eyes flashed surprise, "Hito? Isn't he the head of the BOA? Why would he have anything to do with..my brother?" Though it's been a decade since she heard or spoke of his name, it was still hard to label him a relative of hers.

Yusuke fumbled through his pocket for a minute before pulling out a plastic bag and handing it to her. "This is a sample of shattered glass that was at the crime scene the other day. I saw Hito trying to destroy the evidence that MAY contain the remains of Kano's DNA."

Snatching the bag from his grasp, she eyed the evidence closely, "something doesn't smell right. For one, Hito isn't a demon. Why was his energy picked up on the demon compass? BOA members can't be demons. Secondly, why would he destroy evidence for a case HE is working on."

Yusuke brought a hand to his, pondering a response to her statement. "You got me on the demon thing. _But_, as far as destroying evidence, it's the perfect cover-up so you would never be suspected as an accomplice in a robbery. There's no doubt in my mind that Hito is working for Kano."

__

Beep

"He found us. Let's head to Shika hotel, it's the place I'm staying in right now."

Materializing her oar, they flew into the night sky once again.........

=========================================

"Nice room, " Botan commented as she entered his room and fell on top of his bed. "I call bed."

"Hey, don't get too comfy. I only _invited _you in here." Throwing his room key on the dresser, he sat next to her and let out a tired yawn, "so, you still haven't told me why you disobeyed Koenma's orders. Was it really because you wanted to find your brother?" He looked over to the ferry girl, but found himself doing more staring than looking.

She rolled on to her stomach to catch him staring at her. She smiled weakly and answered, "yes, I did want to find my brother. I hated when Koenma left the job to the BOA. I mean, they couldn't handle putting him away last time," she chuckled halfheartedly, "so...I thought I could instead. I mean, the more he stays in this world, the more he'll grow stronger by feeding on human minds with his mind control."

"Huh? Koenma never said anything about-"

"I tried to tell him, but he doesn't want to listen. He believes that since Kano witnessed a power struggle between the two worlds when he was captured, he doesn't have the power to use his telepathy and mind control anymore because he's in his human form now."

"So, though he's not a demon, he can still use his telepathy?" He questioned, receiving a nod from a recumbent Botan.

"Yes, but his telepathy is not very powerful in his human form. That's why I think he's trying to steal something that can transform him into a demon again--_wait_." Holding out her hand as if she was holding something, a book suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The title read "Japanese Artifacts."

"Botan?" She brought a finger to his lips, deep in thought.

"Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!" She exclaimed, pointing to a passage in the book. "I got it!"

He jumped up, excited-like, "what did we win?!" He thought she didn't get his sarcastic tone until she nudged him roughly onto the bed. In doing so, she also shoved the Artifacts book in his face, ordering him to read it.

"I think Kano may be after this," she said, resting her head against his shoulder so they could both read it, "it may be the only lead we will get." She yawned as he started reading the passage aloud.

__

During the Gatou era, Prince Retsu, chief of spirit world, created an imperial seal to fight off the Re-Dead that were entering spirit world by the hundreds. "This seal," he once stated, "will turn me into a demon so I can protect my people and not have them protect me." After his jealous brother killed him to take over the throne, the imperial seal was buried with the Prince. Legend has it that his ashes were spread all over Japan and that the seal was separated into three jewels. The Utatane, the Hiroyuki, and the Shikasta. Their resting place is uncertain.

"Now that we know what he is after, how will we find them?" He looked at Botan for an answer, but he found her slumped on his shoulder, sleeping. Giving a sympathetic smile, he placed her on the bed and reciprocated the action for himself.

"Botan.." He whispered as he looked at her sleeping, seraphic figure. Indeed, she was pretty.

He managed a soft chuckle, remembering he told her the same thing the first time they met. _"A pretty girl like you? There's no way you can be the grim reaper."_ He remembered how she laughed it off, but too bad she didn't know he _wasn't_ kidding. He wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but something about her captivated him.

During their cases, he realized that his attraction to her came from the usual cheery attitude she had even though her vocation was no laughing matter. It was a serious and gloomy job, but Botan never seemed to amaze him with her positive attitude toward everything. Once their missions started growing closer to home, however, his long-time crush, Keiko, decimated any interest in the ferry girl. He had loved Keiko....

Somehow, however, the feelings he had once felt for the ferry girl came rushing back. Could it be because Keiko was now out of the picture? Brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes, his hand traveled to her cheek. She was unusually cold. Was it because she was half-dead and half-living?

Feeling her move under him, he brought his hand back and looked toward the ceiling. "I shouldn't have these feelings for Botan. It's too soon. I need to know the situation between Keiko and me first." Closing his eyes, he let his mind take him away...

=========================================

"Mhmhm..." Botan stirred as she nudged into the pillow she was sleeping on.

__

"No, mom! I don't wanna go to school!" Too bad she had failed to notice that this particular pillow was Yusuke.

Snapping her eyes open, she found her head on his chest and her leg wrapped around his. An uncompromising position indeed. Lucky for her, the young spirit detective showed no signs of leaving the dream world anytime soon. She was safe.

__

"Make your own coffee," Yusuke's voice mumbled again as Botan slipped out of the warmth of his arms. She sighed, feeling an unusual wave of regret wash over her. She felt herself blush, knowing that this regret was leaving Yusuke's arms.

"Botan, don't make the same mistake with Kurama." Yes, she had once fallen for the fox demon. The love she felt for him soon turned to heartache as he left to live with his sick mother and never return to spirit world for any missions. "Yusuke has his own life...and Keiko."

Forcing a nod, she walked over to his jacket pocket and pulled out the glass sample he had showed her yesterday. "I'm going to bring this to spirit world for testing." She flipped her hood over her head. "Hopefully no one will recognize me."

"One more thing," she said to herself as she pulled something out of her cloak. "You'll need this more than me."

===========================================

__

Ring

"Ugh..."

__

Ring

"Huh?"

__

Ring

"Alright," moving his hand around the nightstand, he found his communicator and opened it, "what is it?"

Once turning on the electronic, he saw the image of Hito appear on the screen. He bit his lip, remembering what happened last night. "Be downstairs in twenty minutes." His order was followed by a grunt and a soft click.

"WHAT?!" Yusuke stared at the communicator, and then at the clock on the nightstand. "Wait....when was it five thirty?" He thought as he peered through the blinds to see the sun at the peak of warming up the cold, dark sky. _"Ugh, stupid Hito."_

Stretching his arms across the bed, he felt his arm brush against something hard. As soon as he turned his head, he recognized the device as the demon compass. "Wait...where's Botan? Botan!" He sat up and looked around the room. "She must have left.." He looked down at the communicator. "Thanks, I might be able to put this to good use with Hito."

Tossing his jacket over his shoulder, he took one LONG look at the bed. The bed he could still be sleeping in if it wasn't for Hito. Sighing, he turned off the light and headed downstairs to piss off--_oops_--assist Hito.

"Urameshi."

"Hito."

Yusuke put his hand to his pocket, not feeling the demon compass respond. He thought for sure Hito was a demon...

Hito smiled sarcastically and brought his hand to his forehead. "You know I've been thinking-"

"Really?"

Not meeting Yusuke's eyes, he cleared his throat and said, "maybe you're right about Kano. The antique owner checked _everything _in the store, nothing was stolen. Maybe Kano did rob the wrong antique store. I'm having my men go undercover at every antique store in town."

Yusuke was slightly speechless. "What made you change your mind?"

"Urameshi, sometimes things don't call for an explanation." He said as Yusuke eyed him suspiciously. "You're going to be checking out the apartment complexes in Shouji Park. Can you handle that?" He paused, waiting for a response.

"Yeah-"

"Good." He turned away from Yusuke, "get a move on it."

Walking away, Yusuke waited for him to leave the hotel until he walked up to the information desk and asked, "where is Yuji Hito's room?"

"One second," the clerk said as he typed some information into the computer, "room 106. That's on the second floor."

"Thanks."

============================================

"Lucky I used to sneak into the teacher's lounge..." Yusuke thought as he closed the door silently and looked around the room. "He has to have some kind of information here." Looking through the drawers and cabinets, he found nothing. Not even clothes. "That's strange."

Looking around the bed and the television stand, he still couldn't find anything of importance. "Come on," he thought as he let his eyes wander around the room. "The painting." Yusuke thought as he walked up to a painting and lifted it off its hinges. To his dismay, nothing was behind the painting.

"What's this?" He thought as he looked at the back of the painting. It was a small piece of paper.

=============================================

"Akamatsu residence." Yusuke said, looking down at the small piece of paper he had uncovered. "It says 12 Brich Street." Yusuke folded the paper and put it in his pocket. "If I can find this place, maybe I can get some answers."

After asking for directions from three different people, he found the building, but he wasn't too happy with his discovery. It was an old, decrepit building that looked as good as deserted. "Might as well take a look."

Walking up to the building, he opened the front door easily and looked around. "Anyone home?" He sighed and looked around the musty inside, it was deserted. "This is stupid." He thought as he turned around, only to collide with something heavy, and then......darkness.

==============================================

__

"So, you still haven't told me why you disobeyed Koenma's orders..."

Was this deja vu or what?! Yusuke looked around as the whole atmosphere of the blackness changed to where he and Botan were in his hotel room. Botan looked slightly distressed as he repeated his question, "so, you still haven't told me why you disobeyed Koenma's orders..."

"Yusuke, I...wanted to be with you.."

Maybe this wasn't deja vu. "What?"

She pulled his hands to her waist and placed her hands on his firm chest. Exploring the muscles that made up his chest, she moved closer to him, lips only centimeters apart. "I've always wanted you.." She whispered softly as he felt himself grow tense under her touch.

"Botan," was all he could muster as she crushed her warm lips against his. It was like an instant spark of passion as his hands occupied the flesh of her neck, while his head moved to the rhythm of their lips. The spark soon created a fire as his desires got the better of him. He wanted her.

It was too late though, Botan had already started pulling away, seeking air that was long overdue. With his eyes still shut, he only felt the deep heaves of her chest against his. "Botan.." He whispered again as he opened his eyes to see.....Keiko?

=================================================

"You're finally up."

"...ugh." Yusuke held his head as his eyes projected only a foggy image of his surroundings. But, even with one sense down, he didn't need to see the figure to recognize her voice. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Keiko.

"Don't move too much, you suffered a blow to the head." She sighed, and touched his cheek. "You're always getting into trouble, aren't you?" Taking her hand away, she continued, "lucky I found you on the street. I wouldn't want to think of what would have happened to you if I didn't."

He pushed himself into a sitting position, "I don't understand, Keiko, you were in New York and..." With the pain now rushing to his head, his sentence was lost to the silence. Maybe it was for the best. Even though she saved him, there was still a lot of troubled water under the bridge.

"Didn't my parents tell you? I moved back to Japan in the summer." She sighed once he shook his head, "and all this time I thought you didn't want to see me."

"Your parents hate me, why would they tell me something like that?" Keiko knew he was telling the truth, after all, it was her parents idea to send her to New York in the first place. They wanted her to marry someone rich, talented, and famous. In other words, someone not Yusuke. "Keiko, why couldn't you tell me?"

She had feared this question. "I...couldn't.."

"LIAR!" Keiko jumped as Yusuke rose to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head. "I trusted you, Keiko! I thought we would be together no matter what stood in our way. But, you! You didn't even have the decency to write or call me....what kind of love is that?" He whispered the last part, afraid of her response.

"I know you were worried about me, but....I thought you would get the message."

Yusuke folded his arms, his face showing no sympathy. "The message? Enlighten me."

Keiko knew explaining this to him would be difficult, but when she looked into his eyes, she hadn't realized how difficult it really would be. "After spending a month in New York I realized that....my feelings for you...changed." She swallowed hard, trying not to let Yusuke sense her fear, "...I realized that I only had a...crush on you, and my feelings were not of...love."

"So....you used me..."

"No, Yusuke! Never! I-"

"POLICE! OPEN UP!"

Yusuke's eyes widened. It was Hito.

"Coming," Keiko said as she stood up and walked toward the door. "Can I help you?" She asked, door ajar.

"Please stand back miss, we have a warrant."

Keiko stood back and looked back to the couch, but Yusuke wasn't there anymore.

==========================================

"Why is Hito investigating Keiko?" Yusuke thought, hiding in a closet behind the couch.

"We understand that you know a Mr. Akamatsu, correct?" Hito asked as he heard two pairs of feet walking around her apartment building. Yusuke hoped that they wouldn't look in the closet. He couldn't let Hito see him. He was _supposed _to be in Shouji park, after all.

"Yes, he's a good friend." Keiko answered.

Yusuke heard a pause. "A good friend, eh? Has he told you that he's a suspect in a robbery?"

"No, I've heard no such thing."

"Hmm..you know this is serious business, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

He sighed, "do you know the whereabouts of Mr. Akamatsu?"

"Where he is now? No, he doesn't usually come by anymore."

"When was the last time he was here?"

"Umm.." She paused, "two weeks ago."

"Is his absence unusual?"

"No."

Yusuke heard his two men walk toward the door, "it looks like she's telling the truth, sir."

"Good. No further questions then." He cleared his throat, "thank you for your cooperation."

Though Yusuke heard the door close, he didn't make any sudden movements. He was curious...

That's when he heard her pick up the phone and punch in some numbers, "yeah, it's me."

"They just left," she said as he heard her walk around the room. "Yusuke? Yes, I did what you told me to. He didn't really tell me about the mission, but I do know that Botan is in Spirit World right now." Yusuke's eyes widened as Keiko waited for an answer. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Okay, I'll meet you."

Hearing her hang up the receiver, he quickly opened the closet door, spirit gun ready. "Hito may have let you off the hook," he yelled, taking a few steps toward her, "but I won't. What are you up to, Keiko?" He asked, feeling slightly dizzy. He figured it must be because he was hiding in the closet so long.

She gasped and took a step back, "Yusuke, it's not what it looks like."

"Come on, Keiko," he stood up and looked at her, still pointing his index finger at her, "you're smart. Think of a better excuse."

She backed away, "please, Yusuke, put down your spirit gun."

"Not until you give me an explanation." He said, shaking his head to ward off the dizziness.

"Sorry, Yusuke, I don't believe that's necessary," she said as she looked at his spirit gun.

"What?" Looking at his index finger, he noticed that his energy was depleting quickly. "What's going on?"

"You should be more worried about what will happen to you." She said as he fell to his knees. "Goodbye Yusuke."

"Wait, Keiko," he said, holding his stomach. "What did you do to me?"

"If you must know," she smiled as she walked toward the door, "I poisoned you when I knocked you out." Opening the door, she looked down at him, "sorry it had to come to this." She turned around to leave, but her face connected with the fist of..._Botan?_

"I'm sorry it had to come to that too." She said softly as she stepped over her to see Yusuke face down on the floor. "Yusuke!" Running up to him, she rolled him on to his back, "can you hear me, Yusuke?" She touched his cheek and then his neck for a pulse.

Through closed eyes, he asked, "..is it my time yet?"

"No, but I have some good news and bad news," she said as she put her two hands above his chest.

Yusuke cracked a weak smile, "don't tell me, the bad news is I'm dying, but the good news is I saved a load of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico." He coughed, but still contained the smile on his lips.

Botan shook her head."Well, the good news is that the poison was low-concentrated and it hasn't hit your digestive tract yet." She stated as her spirit energy emitted through his body, "the bad news is your still taking orders from Koenma for the rest of your _long_ life."

Once she finished her treatment, he opened his eyes and looked at her, "great, I'm must be the luckiest guy in the world." He started to stand up, but he still felt slightly dizzy. "Ugh, how did you know I was here?"

"Remember that DNA sample? The blood contained not demon blood, but human blood. A male human by the name of Kanouji Akamatsu."

Yusuke cocked an eyebrow up, "who is this Akamatsu?"

"Yusuke, my father's last name was Akamatsu.." She turned away from him, arms hugging herself.

"So.." his eyes widened, "Kano is just short for Kanouji." He breathed as she nodded.

"I went to our old house down here on Brich and that's when I sensed your spirit energy not too far away." She sighed as he put a hand on her shoulder for comfort, "I heard everything with Hito and Keiko."

Yusuke looked over to where Keiko rested, but she was _gone...._

"Where did she go?" Yusuke asked, looking at Botan.

Botan walked up to the door, "she went back to meet Kano."

"Do you think they're out to steal another jewel?"

Botan shook her head, "no, they're out to kill me for it."

==================================

To be continued....

I tried to make it long because I know you all have been waiting for months. So, was it good? Confusing? Sucked? Hopefully I should have the next chapter up soon. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure you won't have to wait more than two months. Hooray for summer!!!! LOL, love all you Botan/Yusuke fans!! WOO!


	5. Under Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH because well....there was a time in the Vietnam War when....

A/N(1): Hooray! I'm updating! I'm so excited! After last chapter, I just feel so inspired to write and finish this story. Thanks to everyone for being patient. Hey, maybe in actuality, it was worth the wait....{gets hit with tomato}.....or not..

A/N(2): I'm starting to get into the Botan/Yusuke moments now! WOOO! Ummmm...yeah. Well, read and review.....or face being terminated. {cough} Just playing, loyal reviewers. {silence} Enjoy this chapter!

Title: _To Catch a Thief_

Chapter Five: _Under Attack_

__

=====================================

Yusuke looked over to where Keiko rested, but she was gone....

"Where did she go?" Yusuke asked, looking at Botan.

Botan walked up to the door, "she went back to meet Kano."

"Do you think they're out to steal another jewel?"

Botan shook her head, "no, they're out to kill me for it."

======================================

"Wait," Yusuke paused, lacking the words to question her declaration. "Are you saying that you have one of the jewels?" Despite his inquiry, Botan remained deathly motionless_--almost dead to the world._

"Yusuke," turning around, she continued, "after the Spirit World analysis showed that the glass sample contained human blood, it started showing readings of another substance--Metrion." She paused, then proceeded, "I went to Koenma's library to see what the substance was, and if in fact it is dangerous. The only book that had the word Metrion in it was the Japanese Artifacts--the same book we used to find out about the jewels." She pulled out the glass sample from her pocket, "apparently Spirit World created a fake jewel--Metrion--to resemble one of the three jewels--the Shikasta."

Yusuke frowned. "Why go through all that trouble? I mean, I can see why he wants to confuse the thief by putting a fake jewel in the place of the Shikasta, but what can the three jewels do beside turn a human into a demon?"

"Much more, I'm afraid." Sighing, she tossed the sample on the couch. "Once the three jewels are combined, the seal forms into a signet ring. This ring will not only enable the human to become a demon, but it was also give them amazing powers. Can you see Kano with more powers than what he already has?"

"So, what happens if this Metrion jewel is combined with the other two?"

"Death to the possessor," her voice grew solemn. "The Metrion will unleash a powerful poison once the other two jewels are activated." Yusuke folded his arms, looking at her. She still had not answered his question.

"So, are you telling me that you have the jewel?"

His eyes moved to her pocket, where she pulled out a small, diamond-shaped jewel. "Spirit World had it locked away in the evidence room. I....knew that once Kano found out about the Metrion, he would aim to steal it. I had to get to it before he did."

"Are you crazy? It's better off in a highly guarded room--"

"It was the only way," Botan threw back, anger evident in each word. "Now, will you help me or not?"

"I'll help you," he sighed. "But, do you think Kano knows the Metrion is a fake?"

Botan's mouth twitched, afraid to answer him. "Yes.." She hung her head. Then, "that's why he's out to kill me for it. He knows I'm the only one who could have access into Spirit World to obtain it."

"What makes you so sure? What about Koenma--"

"Koenma doesn't even want to believe that Kano is after the three jewels! What makes you believe he would want to thwart Kano's plans by relocating the Shikasta?" Her blue hair oscillated back and forth as she spoke.

"George and the other Orges?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yusuke, the Ogres don't even know about Kano and the three jewels!"

"What about that guy that takes the mail in the front?"

"Yusuke!"

He folded his arms. "Well, then, tell me why he knows you have the Shik-a-whatever."

"Shikasta," she pronounced. "And the reason he knows that I took the jewel is because....he used the Metrion to poison you." She then added, "when I removed the poison from your body, it matched the Metrion substance."

"So...he wants to join my fan club?"

"Yusuke," she said calmly, "he wants to kill you so he can get to the jewel and me...."

"How flattering, he's in!"

She smacked him over the head. "Don't be an idiot! We have to figure out when he is going to attack again." Her hand moved to her chin, where she stroked it gingerly. "If I was Kano.." she muttered off, pacing around the room.

"Today, Sherlock." Yusuke spoke sarcastically, waiting impatiently for an answer.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Kano's not one to strike at the same place, or with the same weapons." She held her head, now getting frustrated. Everything was just happening at once--discovering the jewels, finding Yusuke poisoned, and learning that Keiko had taken a part in his plans. "This case is.."

"...really starting to piss me off," he finished. Then, "our answers are making more questions."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe we're just--"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Pausing mid-sentence, her eyes met his. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I think it's coming from behind the couch." Striding toward the couch, Yusuke moved the piece of furniture to the side, and started looking for whatever was causing the noise. "I don't see it."

"I do."

He turned his head to look at her. "Where?"

"There," pointing toward the floor, she stepped forward. "It's...a bomb." Well, she found out Kano's new plan of attack. It was probably planted by Keiko before she disappeared to find Kano.

"Give me a break!" he yelled, looking at the small, circular device. The face plate read thirty...then twenty-nine...twenty-eight. "This thing is going to blow in less than twenty-five seconds!" He stepped back, horror in his complexion.

Botan motioned toward the window. "We have to go!"

"No," he shook his head. Then, "there's other people in this apartment! We can't just--"

__

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Twenty seconds, Yusuke!" Botan yelled, trying to open the window. "And the window won't budge!" She tried again, and again, and again. Nothing. Sighing heavily, she looked toward the door. She knew it wouldn't open either. It was all a part of Kano's plan. It was then she distanced herself from the window, and stretched her arm, palm facing the window. Pink energy swirled in her palm, creating a vortex. Closing her eyes, she placed her other hand on the forearm of the other one. "Stand back, Yusuke."

Yusuke, bewildered, only stepped back. His eyes remained on her palm.

"SPIRIT TUNNEL!"

Before Yusuke knew what was happening, the pink energy, enclosed in her palm, emitted a stream of energy currents that created a tunnel around the window. Then, the energy danced around the window for a moment before finally blowing a hole through the apartment building, taking the window with it. Yusuke knelt in wonder at the attack. It was beautiful, yet powerful. Just like Botan.

"Botan, I--"

__

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"I'll be back," grabbing the bomb; she quickly materialized her oar, and steadied herself on the transportation device. Before she kicked off into the night sky, she felt something brush against her leg. Looking down, she saw Yusuke's muscular leg against hers. He was sitting behind her. Before thoughts

of their compromising position hit her head, she realized what he was doing. "Yusuke, it's too dangerous. I'm not even sure I'll make it high enough to--"

"No time to argue, Botan. Fly!" He glanced at the bomb. It glowed thirteen seconds.

She didn't answer. Instead, her eyes remained on the night sky. Would they make it in time? _"Only seconds will tell."_ Her thoughts were disrupted by the oar, which was now hovering over the carpet. It then glided through the aperture, where it picked up speed into the night sky. She glanced at the bomb. Seven seconds.

"Throw it!" Yusuke commanded, his voice muffled by the velocity of their flight.

Her eyes dropped to the bomb. Five Seconds. _"We're going to need five seconds to get away from the blast." _Grabbing the bomb with two hands, she thrust it into the night sky. Then, turning the oar around, she dipped back toward earth.

__

"Four. Three. Two. One." She counted in her head, quickly closing her eyes to shield herself from the explosion. After waiting several seconds, she reopened her eyes, and looked over her shoulder at Yusuke. He was also waiting for the explosion.

"Was the bomb....a fake?" His question was a simple one, but Botan found it difficult to respond.

Putting words together, she turned to look at him. "It's quite possible, I do have something that he wants.." She looked down at her pocket, but when she did, a burst of energy flickered throughout the sky, making her shield her eyes. Yusuke did the same.

Before she knew it, however, the explosion was taking her oar with it. She couldn't fight the waves of debris and energy that were coming toward them. Concentrating her energy into the oar, she found it useless. She had used all her energy on the spirit tunnel. It was then her oar disappeared, plunging Yusuke and her into the darkness of the night.

==========================================

"Botan!" His voice grew more desperate as his eyes searched the sky for an answer. "Botan!" He repeated, a picture of her bubbly complexion now filling his thoughts. He felt tears moisten his eyes, but more importantly, he felt his heart ache for the blue-haired ferry girl. She was gone, and it was his fault. He should have saved her. Closing his eyes, he let his mind take him away to the scene.

__

They were falling. He, bewildered by the moment, was falling quicker than she was because his limbs were moving unconsciously in panic. As he watched the buildings below grow clarity; he felt his own imminence of death approaching. He wondered when his life would flash before his eyes. "Yusuke Urameshi. Age:

16. Survived by his mom and everyone until he was--wait, wrong episode." He found it hard to laugh as the wind crushed his body, almost suffocating him. He felt like he was going to die.

No, he couldn't die like this. Just like with Rando, he would find a way out.

Looking down at the buildings, his hopes rose as an idea came to his head. Holding out his hand, he drew energy into his index finger, and waited for the right moment to unleash his attack. "SPIRIT GUN!" he finally yelled, as the stream of energy he created shot into the ground. To his dismay, his spirit gun only broke some of his fall, but it was enough to escape a broken limb.

Sighing, Yusuke opened his eyes back to reality. _"I have to find Botan," _he thought, now running from building to building. "BO--" His foot slipped as he jumped on to the next building, making his voice slip with it. Before he fell, however, he grabbed hold of the window ledge on the building. His worry for Botan had stopped him from worrying about himself.

Grabbing the ends of the window, he started climbing to the top of the building, using the emergency ladder. Once on the roof, he looked toward the sky again. "Botan..." He whispered, hoping to see her bubbly figure through the clouds. That's when he heard the sound of a groan from behind him. It was her. Botan. Lying face down on the ground.

Running toward her, he turned her over, looking for any sign of a wound. "Are you injured?"

"No," she lied.

She had fallen from the sky. The vortex, or spirit tunnel, had made her too weak to create a spirit gun. Using her life energy, she materialized her oar again, but it wasn't enough to bring her safely back to earth. The oar dissipated, while in her grasp, and she plummeted toward a building at a high speed. She fell on her arm, and it was now broken.

"Yusuke, you need to leave." Her voice was a mere whisper, but it was enough for him to comprehend. "Take the jewel," she tried to reach into her pocket, but he stopped her. She knew he wasn't the kind of person to leave a friend behind, but this was a matter of saving Spirit World. "Please Yusuke," the ferry girl touched his cheek with her unscathed arm. She cherished its warmth.

"Botan," he took her hand in his, "you're being overly dramatic." He smiled, but it soon faded once she closed her eyes, unconscious. Giving an exhausted sigh, he whispered, "I'm not leaving you here," and scooped her into his arms. Once she was firmly in his grasp, he stood on his feet, and turned around. Upon

turning around, he saw two figures standing quietly on an adjacent building.

He knew one figure was Keiko. The years they spent together had burned her features into his memory. But, the other one was a complete mystery to Yusuke. Could it be Kano? He stepped forward to get a closer look, but the figure was too well disguised in the dark.

"Yusuke Urameshi," the figure stepped forward, but not enough to get a good look at him. "I've heard much about you." His hand snaked around Keiko's waist, where he pulled her closer to him. A fire ignited in Yusuke's eyes.

"Shut your face," his hands tightened around Botan, "just because you heard things about me doesn't mean you know me!" Yusuke was sick of people thinking that they knew him. Even Keiko, the only person he opened up to, thought he knew him, but she was wrong.

"I don't wish to know you, Yusuke."

Yusuke growled. "What the hell do you want then?"

It was like he was awaiting this question. His hand dropped from Keiko's waist, and his eyes squinted sharply, as if he was looking into his soul. "Maybe my dear mind slave can enlighten you." With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Keiko behind. She silently met his gaze.

"Yusuke," she started, stepping forward. Her voice was innocent as she spoke. "You need not forgive me for what I've done, but please, I don't want to hurt you." Yusuke raised an eyebrow, slightly moved by her words. "You need to stay away from me, Yusuke. I can't control what I'm doing. Kano.." She stopped to

sniff back a couple of tears. Then, "Kano is controlling me...he's making me do things that I don't want to do. I want to break free, but--_ah_!" She dropped to her knees, holding her head tightly. "He's trying to get into my thoughts, Yusuke! HELP ME!" Her voice was pleading, almost desperate, as she continued to

shriek in pain.

Yusuke's eyes widened. "Keiko!" Placing Botan down carefully, he took one last look at her before jumping toward the building Keiko was on. "I'm here," he comforted as he knelt beside her. She looked deeply in pain. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." As he patted her back, she unexpectedly threw her

arms around him, and cried into his shoulder. He only accepted her embrace, too caught up in her story to comprehend or care. _"Kano was controlling her."_

His bewilderment could not prepare him for what happened next.

In one swift motion, she pulled away from him and kicked him in the stomach. "Fool," laughed Keiko as he watched her leap toward another building. He only held his stomach from the blow, trying to pick himself up with his feet. Once he stood up, he found Keiko hovering over Botan, obviously searching for the jewel with her eyes.

Shaping his hand into a gun, he concentrated his energy into his index finger, and pointed his weapon at Keiko. "SPIRIT GUN!" he yelled, stepping back a little as the energy took on a straight path for Keiko. It was a direct hit that sent her flying into the ground, unconscious. "Sorry Keiko," he whispered, leaping off the to where Botan rest.

As he lifted Botan back into his arms, he headed toward the stairs, where he heard the faint groan of Keiko from the other side of the building. Shifting Botan to his shoulder, he raced down the stairs in an attempt to avoid another run-in with Keiko. He didn't want to hurt her. His bruised stomach told otherwise, however.

Meanwhile, Botan stirred slightly to pain in her arm. As she opened her eyes, she scanned her surroundings. Her vision was blurry as she tried to make out where they were, but in that moment, she realized that it was because she was moving at a fast pace. Well, it wasn't her moving, per say. "Yusuke." she whispered, her voice soft. The ferry girl felt him tense under her as he stopped to place her down.

"You're awake," said Yusuke, in his usual sarcastic tone. "Now, do you feel like carrying me?"

She held her arm, resisting the urge to smack him. He always had to be funny, even in a dire situation. "Your mouth is going to get you in trouble one day," she smiled, making him return the gesture.

"You know," he put his arms behind his head, "a fortune cookie told me that once."

The ferry girl stifled a laugh. "Come on," she materialized her oar, "we have to go back to the hotel. I'm sure we can find a place to hide the jewel there." Sitting on the device, she added, "I think I have enough energy to take us there."

He raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"Well, if you feel much safer walking, I'll meet you there," teased Botan, as she hovered over the ground.

Yusuke's eyes widened. "WAIT!"

================================================

Meanwhile, Keiko watched the two disappear into the night sky. She smiled, "master will be pleased to know that I've found the location of the jewel." Stepping back into the darkness, she flipped open her cell phone and called her master.

"Yes Kano, I have them right where I want them."

================================================

"OWWWWWWW!" hollered the blue-haired teen, holding her broken arm in pain. "IDIOT!"

"Stay still!" commanded Yusuke, stretching out the cloth he was holding. "I'm trying to make a splint for your arm!" A groan slipped her lips as she sat back on the bed, awaiting Dr. Urameshi to treat her arm. "Stubborn hag," he whispered, hoping she didn't hear him. She did.

"What?" Materializing her oar, she smacked him over the head. This caused him to fly right into the wall, head first. "You're right, this hag is stubborn." Turning the oar around, she blew the top of it, acting as if she was in a Wild West movie. Then, looking down, she covered her mouth. "Oh Yusuke, what happened to you?"

He growled. "Come here and I'll show you." Standing up, he rubbed his head. "Ouch, you hit harder than..._never mind_." Botan watched as he silently sat on the hotel bed beside her. She knew what he was thinking about.

"That wasn't Keiko," she reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Kano must be--"

"He's controlling her. That bastard made her his mind slave." His fists clenched tightly as he spoke. Even his eyes shut tightly, not wanting to believe what had become of Keiko. "After you passed out, I ran into Kano and Keiko," he paused, swallowing hard. "She's only his puppet so he can get the jewel. I...felt so helpless that I couldn't get through to her.." She felt a pang of truth in the words he choked out.

"We'll find her."

He shook his head. "She's already lost."

"Yusuke--"

"When I looked into her eyes, I didn't see Keiko. Only emptiness." Standing up, he punched the wall. "Keiko.." he whispered, leaning his head on the wall. Botan, who was sympathizing his loss, approached him and took his hand in hers.

"Have faith, Yusuke. Would Keiko ever give up on you?" He answered her question with a negative headshake. She smiled, "then, stop hurting the poor wall. It didn't do anything to you." His frown pulled upward.

"Thanks Botan," said Yusuke, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"OWWWWW!" she hollered for the second time, pushing him away. "IDIOT!"

"Sorry," he threw his hands over his head defensively, "I forgot! I really did!" Before she could materialize her oar, he stride to the bed, where he picked up the cloth he was playing with before. "Here, let me put this on you."

Guiding her to the bed, she obediently sat down on his command, and watched him place the splint on her arm. Once finished, he looked up and smiled at her. It was then that he realized how close they really were to each other. And their faces. And their lips. And their--_whoa, was the room getting hot in here or what?_

"T-thanks, Yusuke," said Botan, breaking the awkward moment between them. She too had felt the same closeness to Yusuke, but brushed it off, knowing his heart still belonged to Keiko. "And it always will," she sighed sadly, looking out the window.

"Botan?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, I'm just going to step outside the room for a second." Striding toward the door, she added, "I'll only be a minute," and closed the door behind her. Before Yusuke could question Botan's uneasiness, his communicator started to ring.

"Hito?"

====================================================

"You can't feel this way for him, Botan." Running a hand through her blue hair, she steadied herself against the wall outside their room. "You weren't meant to love. Grim Reapers are only meant to take love away. You can't do that to Yusuke."

"May I cut in?"

Botan's eyes shifted to a pair of brown eyes. "Keiko?"

"Yes," her eyes filled with amusement, "you have something I want." Leaving Botan's eyes, her attention shifted to a silver dagger she pulled out. "But, if you want to be difficult," she continued, finger now glazing along the edge of the blade, "I'll have no choice but to kill you." Blood trickled down her finger slowly, making her eyes gleam with pleasure. She then waved the dagger at Botan. "What will it be?"

====================================================

"What?"

"You need to leave," Hito repeated, "one of Kano's followers is after you."

Yusuke cocked an eyebrow up, not convinced. "If memory serves me right, you were one of them." Before Hito could open his mouth, Yusuke continued, "but if you want to entertain me, show me some proof."

But, at the moment, the proof was delivered not by eye.....

"YUSUKE!"

........but by ear.

__

Botan was in trouble.

====================================================

To be continued...


	6. The Truth about Keiko

Disclaimer: I think; therefore I am.....the owner of Yu Yu Hakusho {cough}

A/N: Yah! I'm updating again! I guess this makes up for not updating in like six months before. {cough} Well, thanks for the reviews, and enjoy this chapter. I think it's the second to the last chapter, but I'll discuss that more once we hit the end of this chapter.

Title: _To Catch a Thief_

Chapter Six: _The Truth about Keiko_

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"May I cut in?"

Botan's eyes shifted to a pair of brown eyes. "Keiko?"

"Yes," her eyes filled with amusement, "you have something I want." Leaving Botan's eyes, her attention shifted to a silver dagger she pulled out. "But, if you want to be difficult," she continued, finger now glazing along the edge of the blade, "I'll have no choice but to kill you." Blood trickled down her finger slowly, making her eyes gleam with pleasure. She then waved the dagger at Botan. "What will it be?"

====================================================

Botan remained silent, eyes watching Keiko's reflection in the dagger's blade. Sure, Botan could not remember a more dire situation, but she was used to death....and the many ways that led to the untimely end. It wasn't only that which kept her silent, however. Upon looking at Keiko's reflection, Botan noticed something that was keeping her from speaking. _"Since when did Keiko have black eyes?" _Something didn't smell right, and Botan was sure that Keiko's sudden presence in Japan didn't rid the stench. _"It's like--" _Botan's eyes brandished understanding from a sudden realization. But, before more thoughts could add to the spark of her awareness, Keiko's voice filled the hallway once again.

"Well, what's your decision?"

Botan's eyes lowered. She was trying to formulate a plan. "Kill me." Well....the keyword was _trying._

"You do realize that when I kill you," she caressed Botan's cheek with the tip of the blade, "I will take possession of the jewel anyway, _right_?" She emphasized the last word, apparently wondering if the ferry girl really knew what she was doing.

"I know," she said, her voice a mere whisper. "I'd rather die than watch Kano take over Spirit World."

"How noble," mocked Keiko, a phony grin planted on her lips. "It almost makes me wish that I cared, but fortunately, I'm more interested in seeing you..._dead_." With that said, she laughed menacingly, and brought the dagger to the messenger's neck. Then, digging the blade into her neck, she backed Botan into the wall. "I'm going to enjoy this..."

Before she could pierce the blade into Botan's skin, the door across the hallway started to bang loudly, bringing with it the sound of a young man's voice. "BOTAN!" Startled, the killer turned sharply toward the hotel door. She saw the knob starting to turn, which only meant one thing.

"That Spirit Detective is trying to interfere with my plans again," growled the killer, as she withdrew the blade from Botan's neck. "It's time to teach him some manners." Holding her hand out, while using the other one to secure her victim, she built an invisible energy wall between her and the rest of the hallway. "Your knight in shining armor won't rescue you this time." Smiling, she held Botan by the neck, nearly choking her. "Where were we?"

Meanwhile, Yusuke finally managed to open the hotel door, still shaken by Hito's call. Once his eyes landed on the scene before him, however, he dropped his communicator, panic-stricken. "Botan!" he yelled, stepping forward. It was then his head collided into....."What the hell?" Drawing his two palms to the force field, he realized that Keiko created an invisible wall so he wouldn't be able to rescue Botan.

"Keiko, leave her alone!" yelled the spirit detective, slamming his fist against the barrier.

Smiling, she turned to Botan. "Looks like we have an audience."

"Yusuke!" she yelled desperately. "Get out of here!" Struggling to break free, Botan found it an useless effort. Keiko's grip was too strong, maybe too strong for a person as dainty as Keiko to possess. This only added fire to her realization. The realization that--

"I'll get you out of this," he responded, stepping back to unleash a spirit gun, that is, until Keiko told him that his spirit gun would not penetrate the barrier. Spirit energy had no effect on the wall. "Well," he punched the wall; "I have plenty of other ideas."

She laughed. "Try all you want," she pointed the blade at Botan again, "you won't make it in time."

"Go, _Yusuke_!" Her eyes remained on the blade as she spoke. Then, "you need to get out of here before Keiko finds the hiding place of the jewel." With that, Keiko's head craned toward Yusuke, horror embedded within her orbs.

"What?" She pulled the dagger away from Botan; her attention now focused on Yusuke. "Where is the--"

Botan, using the opportunity wisely, knocked the knife out of Keiko's hand, causing her arm to swing back roughly. Then, in one swift motion, she made a run for the opposite side of the hallway, where the barrier was not planted. Unfortunately, though, Keiko caught her by the wrist and smacked her across the face. "Don't try that again," her hand started to glow, "I won't hesitate to make your death a slow and painful one."

"Botan!" she heard the spirit detective yell, as she looked at Keiko.

Was this the end? She glanced at Yusuke, shaking her head. _"I told Yusuke that we would find Keiko," _looking around, her thoughts now focused on the barrier. _"Spirit energy walls have one weakness. They can only be broken by the creator's spirit energy."_

Pushing Keiko away from her, Botan backed into the spirit wall. Keiko growled fiercely, apparently unhappy at Botan's incompetence. "You must like to suffer," pausing, Keiko held out her gun-shaped hand. "I must admit, though, I like watching you suffer." Without warning, Keiko fired the spirit gun, which streamed a white light in Botan's direction.

"NO!" Yusuke yelled, eyes watching the scene through tears. "Botan!"

__

_"This better wor--" _Heaving herself out of the way of the spirit gun, her eyes shifted to the spirit wall, which was being penetrated by the spirit gun. "WORK!" yelled the ferry girl, as the spirit wall started succumbing to the spirit gun's power. Then, with a massive spark, the spirit wall dissipated, leaving Keiko defeated. "Bingo!" she cheered, lifting a fist to the air in victory. It was then Yusuke ran over to her, shocked as all hell.

"This is not over!" shrieked the brunette, eyes glaring daggers. "The jewel will be Kano's soon enough." Taking off down the hallway, Yusuke and Botan only looked on, too caught up in their own thoughts to care.

"Here," holding out his hand, Yusuke's eyes lowered to hers.

She accepted. "Thanks," she said, now on her feet. Her eyes locked with his. "Yusuke," her eyes squinted, cupping his cheek in her hand, "were you crying?" He pulled out of her touch, wiping his eyes.

"Nah, just..uhh..got something in my eye." Before she could say anything, he shook his head, avoiding her gaze. Then, changing the subject, he said: "Botan, we can't stay here. It's not safe. Keiko now knows where we are. There's no telling what Kano's next plan of action will be."

Botan sighed. "We're not safe anywhere we go."

"Well, maybe--" He looked at her arm, mouth slightly open. "Your...arm.." His finger lingered to her limb.

Her gaze shifted to where he was pointing, a smile now planted on her face. "My spirit energy is back," she moved her arm around, "it healed the breakage." Turning her gaze back to Yusuke, she asked, "what were you saying?"

Still looking at her arm--almost hypnotized--he answered: "I was saying...that maybe we could talk to Hito." Meeting her eyes, he added, "he has something to do with Kano. Maybe we can get some answers."

She nodded. "Let's go."

=================================================

"That's convenient," said Yusuke, after waiting ten minutes in front of Hito's door. "I knew we couldn't trust him." Banging once again on the door, he looked over his shoulder at Botan. She looked frustrated.

"Why don't you try opening it?"

Yusuke turned around. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He shook his head. "Nobody is stupid enough to leave their door open. Especially Hito." He watched as she folded her arms, unconvinced. "Fine. I bet you twenty bucks this door will NOT open. Deal?" She shook her head up and down.

Stepping in front of him, she turned the doorknob carefully, gently putting her shoulder against the door as she did so. With little effort, the door cracked open, revealing the interior of Hito's hotel room. Turning to Yusuke, she smiled triumphantly, "I believe you owe me twenty dollars."

The spirit detective scratched his head. "Did I say twenty dollars? I meant--"

"Yusuke.."

Reaching into his pocket, he kept his eyes on her pink orbs. Then, his gaze suddenly shifted to something beyond her eyes. Holding his finger out, he shouted, "hey, is that Koenma? Yeah, I think it is."

Gasping, she turned around to see...nothing. When she turned around to look back at Yusuke, she was greeted with a slammed door. Yusuke had tricked her so he wouldn't have to pay. That jerk. Clenching her fists, she started banging on the door.

"YUSUKE!"

=================================================

"Give me a break." Yusuke, with a rather large bump on the back of his head, said. He then added, "this room is exactly the same as two days ago," as he looked around the room for any sign of a clue. "Do you see anything, Botan?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Are you sure this is the room?"

"Yes," he rummaged through the drawers; "this guy is just a freak."

"What are you looking for anyway?"

Yusuke stopped to look at her. "Anything. We need to find out if he's working for Kano."

"What if he was just a mind slave?"

"No," he whispered, still looking around. "He has to be one of Kano's henchmen. I'm almost positive."

"What if Hito is who he says he is?"

"Botan," he growled, obviously annoyed, "why are you taking his side?"

"What? How could you say that? I'm not taking his side!" she yelled, her pink eyes now turning violet. "And even if I was, who says you're not? You keep assuming that he's working with Kano! What proof do you have? Do you see any proof around here?"

He gave her a fixed stare. "He tried to destroy evidence against Kano. That's enough proof."

"He might have been under mind control!" She threw back angrily, now walking up to him. "Who knows how many people Kano has tried to control! That doesn't make them criminals! Look at Keiko..." She knew she shouldn't have said her name, but it was too late. She had said it, and now, Yusuke was halfway to he door. "Yusuke! I didn't mean that!" She tried to grab his arm, but he pulled it away from her grasp.

"What did you mean then?" He turned around to look at her. Then, "what? That Keiko is actually working for Kano? No, wait, she is Kano! Is that what you are trying to say? Well?" He waited impatiently for her to respond. She only answered with a couple of tears that glazed down her face. He threw his hands up to the ceiling, aggravated. "You know what? I don't need to hear this. I'm out of here. Good luck with _your_ case."

Before he was out the door, however, he heard something from behind him that stopped him in his tracks. "What did you say?" Turning around, he looked at the ferry girl, who shrugged her shoulders in confusion.

"I didn't say anything;" she sniffed, her hands now wiping her eyes.

****

"That's right, I did."

Startled, Yusuke and Botan looked around the room for the body of the voice. Nothing.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Yusuke demanded through clenched teeth.

****

"Not just yet, spirit detective."

Closing his eyes, Yusuke could have sworn he heard that voice before. "Hito," he finally responded, "what do you want with us?" Looking to the ceiling for an answer, he waited patiently to hear the voice again.

****

"You will find out soon enough."

Running to the door, Yusuke tried to open it, but his efforts were useless. Kano had trapped them once again. "What makes you think you can keep us in here? Do you remember what happened last time? I can just use my spirit gun and--"

****

"Just like the spirit wall, you can't use spirit energy on the room. Try, if that will please you."

He did. "Damn!" The wall ate his spirit energy--almost like the time K ate Kuwabara's spirit sword.

****

"Good luck, my friends."

"Hito!" came Yusuke's angry voice. He wanted answers. "Hito!" he repeated, now yelling.

"We're trapped," whispered the ferry girl, who was quiet throughout the whole discussion. "He knew that we would come to him after he called you on the communicator to warn you about Keiko. He wanted us to think that he was actually on our side. He..." She broke down in more tears. "You were right, Yusuke, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Sinking to the bed; she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth and comfort.

Yusuke, bewildered by the trap, put a hand on Botan's shoulder. "You didn't know."

"Maybe if I'd listened to you, we might have been able to capture Hito." She stood, then paced around the room. "Maybe if I'd listened to Kano, we wouldn't be trapped in here. Maybe if I'd listened to Koenma, I wouldn't have put you through all of this.." As she rambled on, she could hear Yusuke walk up behind her to comfort her. She only continued, "it's good to be the grim reaper, Yusuke, do you know why? You're dead to everyone on earth," she sniffed, but proceeded, "you take away the souls of those loved and cherished, and," she looked into his eyes for the last point, "you....can't love.."

"Botan," whispered Yusuke, as he tried to bring her into an embrace. She pulled away.

"Don't. You are the last person I want sympathy from." Once out of his embrace, she strided to the bathroom and closed the door. He continued to listen to her whimpers and sniffles of pain until the steady stream of a shower washed away the sounds.

================================================

__

_"Stupid Botan." _Walking into the shower, she arched her head back, letting the water massage her chest and lower body. _"You pushed him away." _A sigh slipped through her lips as the steam from the hot water unclogged her senses, leaving them feeling rejuvenated. _"It's the right thing to do...you can't, no, he can't love you." _Letting the water calm her mind from the worries of the world, her mind remained glued on his face.

"I think I...love him."

================================================

Sighing, he retreated to the queen-sized bed, which was centered in the middle of the room, and rested his head on top of his laced hands. _"She's so lonely,"_ he thought, his vision now carving the structure of her face in his head. _"I wish I could tell her that I.."_ He shook his head, refusing to say the words that have been plaguing his mind on the days he spent with Botan. _"I don't know if I love Botan. It's a different kind of love from the one I shared with Keiko." _His chocolate eyes met the white ceiling, creating a light brown swirl. _"I loved Keiko; I wanted to be her protector. With Botan, I feel like the same way I feel when I'm riding on her oar--free, without a care.."_

His thoughts stopped when he heard the water cease in the bathroom. Then, he returned to his thoughts, _"I should write a book."_ Before he could chuckle, he heard the sound of the bathroom door crack open. When his eyes met the door, rather the person, he felt himself stop breathing.

She was like a heavenly apparition...maybe more as his eyes wandered to her blue hair, which was left out to accentuate the structure of her face. Her pink eyes made him think of the nights spent at the Dark Tournament, where the skies would turn a ghastly pink and then change to a more suited color--red--for the tournament. He always loved staring out the window at the sky before every match; it made him feel a calm that he had not felt in a long time.

His eyes then wandered to her body, which was wrapped in a small white towel that only covered her from before the breast to mid-thigh_...unfortunately for him_. It was then his mind took him to the dream he had of Botan.

__

"Yusuke, I...wanted to be with you.."

Maybe this wasn't deja vu. "What?"

She pulled his hands to her waist and placed her hands on his firm chest. Exploring the muscles that made up his chest, she moved closer to him, lips only centimeters apart. "I've always wanted you.." She whispered softly as he felt himself grow tense under her touch.

"Botan," was all he could muster as she crushed her warm lips against his. It was like an instant spark of passion as his hands occupied the flesh of her neck, while his head moved to the rhythm of their lips. The spark soon created a fire as his desires got the better of him. He wanted her.

Shaking out of his daze, he brought himself back to reality, where Botan still stood at the door, motionless. He wanted to reach out and touch her, comfort her even, but he refrained from doing so, knowing this would only show his feelings for the young ferry girl. "She has so much to deal with...I couldn't.."

"Yusuke..." her voice sent chills up his spine. So was a particular body part. "Forgive me...for before. I think this whole case is just...getting to me. I've been horrible to you, when in all actuality; you have only tried to help me find my brother."

His voice was lost in his throat. However, he managed to choke out "it's okay" before she grew suspicious of anything. As he sat up to review her body, she took little notice as she strided toward the dresser, in search of clean clothes.

Finding his voice again, he questioned: "What are you doing?"

She turned to him, her towel now sliding down to reveal some cleavage. He felt himself swallow hard. "My clothes are worn, I need something to wear." Sifting through the pile of neatly, folded clothes, she came across a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black pants.

"You're going to wear his clothes?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "They're clean."

"I wouldn't wipe my ass with his clothes," commented the teen; arms folded.

Her lips curved upward. "Would you rather have me walk around naked?"

"Well...now that you mention it--"

"PERVERT!" As she slammed the door to the bathroom, he couldn't help but smirk. It was weird how the simplest word could change his mood on the situation before him--being a hostage in a room, and tortured unknowingly by his infatuation. Now that she mentioned it, however, he WAS acting like a pervert. He couldn't help it though. It was either a.) act perverted, or b.) confess his feelings. He found choice A a better answer.

"Well," he looked up as Botan stepped out of the bathroom with the loosely fit clothing on, "I think I lost it." Striding to the bed, she sat down next to him, letting out an exhausted sigh as she did so. He could smell a hint of lavender in the air once she was seated. It was intoxicating.

"I wouldn't classify taking a shower while held hostage AND wearing the clothes of the person who is keeping you hostage as sane," teased the black-haired boy; catching the light of her eyes in the darkness of his orbs.

"What would you classify it as then?" She moved her face closer to his.

__

She moved closer to him, lips only centimeters apart...

Shaking his head mentally, he answered: "I'd say it's..."

__

He grew tense...

She quirked an eyebrow up, waiting patiently to hear his response.

"Botan.."

__

Was all he could muster as...

"NO!" he shouted unknowingly. His eyes shut and then reopened to see Botan still sitting there. "I'm sorry," brushing a hand through his black hair, he tried to make sense of the images. It was the dream.

"Yusuke?" Worry now set in deep in her eyes.

Yusuke, confused by the sudden images of his dream, looked into Botan's eyes and asked: "Can I kiss you?" He hadn't realized what he had said until the words echoed in his mind. It was then his eyes lowered from hers, ashamed.

Botan, the victim of his words, examined his eyes for the truth in his words. Was he being serious? Botan wasn't sure whether to like what she was hearing, or ignore the words that he may take back when she asked him to repeat it....

__

_Still_..it was nice to hear it.

"Do you want to kis--"

Botan froze, now looking at the sixteen-year-old with interest. The messenger's heart nearly fell into her lap, as he leaned forward, closing in on the entrance of her mouth. This was something she had felt since she died--love. As if an expert, her eyelids fell to a crack, where her eyes could only see the bridge of her nose. Then, she pursed her lips together; ready to feel something she had deprived her lips of. Swallowing hard in anticipation, she heard the mattress creak slowly. His warm breath against her face only added to the anticipation. _Was she really going to kiss...Yusuke?_

"Botan.."

Hearing him call her name softly, she was about to answer when she felt the touch of his warm lips against the coldness of hers--she was half-dead after all. She wondered if he would pull away once he felt the coldness of her mouth once he was inside it, but he did the opposite_--he intensified it._

Botan felt the heat of passion take effect through her, sending her with tremors from head to toe. As Yusuke pressed his body against hers, she felt his heart pound the three words that she was dying to hear for such a long time. In response to his action, she deepened the kiss, sending the warmth of the moment deep inside her. She wanted this moment to last forever. She wanted to feel Yusuke's body against hers to the point where they were one. She knew Yusuke had the same thing on his mind as his tongue thrusted against hers, trying to express everything and anything he had for the ferry girl.

Unfortunately, however, Yusuke started to pull away, leaving Botan yearning for more of his kiss. "I..."

"Shh.." she brushed her lips against his again. Then, "thank you" came out of her lips as they pulled away for air again. As she traced the curves of his cheek with her thumb, he only looked into her eyes wondering why she had thanked him.

"Should I thank you too?"

Pulling herself from under him, she was about to respond, when they both heard a loud banging sound coming from the door. Yusuke, protective as he was, told Botan to hide behind the bed while he checked out the scene. She obeyed, but kept her eyes peeled on the door for any sign of movement. Nothing. Were they imagining things?

Without warning, however, the door swung open to reveal...._Hito?_

"I knew I would find you here, Yusuke--"

"What are you talking about?" Yusuke charged his spirit gun. "You locked us in here."

His eyebrow furrowed. "What?"

"Maybe he was under mind control," said Botan, standing from her hiding place.

"No, he's just playing games with us." The SD pointed his gun at Hito.

"I didn't lock you in here. I came to rescue you." Botan felt the pang of truth in his words as he spoke. She looked over to Yusuke, who felt the same emotion wash over him. "I was with the BOA all day until I saw one of Kano's henchmen follow you into Shika hotel."

"I don't believe you." Yusuke continued, "first, how do you KNOW about Keiko? And two, how did you know that we were locked in here?" Raising an eyebrow, Yusuke was trying to bust the guy's balls, but Hito maintained a cool composure.

"Kano used me to get into the Sudan Museum. That I remember. Nothing more." He gave an exhausted sigh. Then, " I soon remembered that the girl you call Keiko was actually working with Kano while I was stealing something from the museum. My men tracked her down and found her following you into the Shika Hotel. It was then my men saw her come back to my hotel room."

"What are you saying then?"

Hito stepped forward with the help of his gold cane. "Keiko locked you in here."

===================================================

To be continued....

Confused? HAHAHAHA! {looks around} Don't worry, everything will be explained next chapter. Ooooohh...and how about that kiss? Was it too rushed? I hope not. Anyway, thank you for reading this chapter and review if you want.

As far as the next chapter, it MAY be the last chapter. I'm not too sure, but I do know that this story will be coming to an end soon. What I can say is this: I will finish it!! Hehehehe. Anyway, thanks for everything reviewers.


	7. Mistaken Identity

Disclaimer: Technically, since the writer of YYH has not hinted toward a Yusuke/Botan pairing, we kind of possess our own side of YYH.....ummm...yeah. Disregard this disclaimer. Hehehe.

A/N: Well, this will be my last update for the summer. (sniffle) It's so sad to think about the new ways of torture teachers will have when we return. The only up side to this is.....IT'S MY LAST YEAR! No more teachers, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks! (cough)

Title: _To Catch a Thief_

Chapter Seven: _Mistaken Identity_

* * *

_"I don't believe you." Yusuke continued, "first, how do you KNOW about Keiko? And two, how did you know that we were locked in here?" Raising an eyebrow, Yusuke was trying to bust the guy's balls, but Hito maintained a cool composure._____

"Kano used me to get into the Sudan Museum. That I remember. Nothing more." He gave an exhausted sigh. Then, " I soon remembered that the girl you call Keiko was actually working with Kano while I was stealing something from the museum. My men tracked her down and found her following you into the Shika Hotel. It was then my men saw her come back to my hotel room."

__

___"What are you saying then?"_

___Hito stepped forward with the help of his gold cane. "Keiko locked you in here."_

* * *

Yusuke, bewildered, found it extremely hard to concentrate after hearing Hito's statement. He was more angry than shocked by the information to say the least. "What are you up to, huh?" As he spoke, his blood started to boil with the growing rage for Hito. How could Hito blame Keiko when Botan and him heard him speak after they were locked up? "If this is some sick twisted game of yours, I swear I will--"

It was then he paused; feeling the warmth of Botan's hand on his shoulder. As he turned his head to question her gesture, he didn't expect for her eyes to take him back to the moment they kissed. The way her hands felt against his body. The permanent mark she left on his lips. Even the look she gave after they kissed was...magic. "Yusuke," she finally said, bringing the teenager back to their current situation. "I believe Hito."

Looking away from her, he struggled to believe that Botan actually trusted Hito. Then again, Botan trusted about anyone. "No. I won't let myself fall victim to Hito's bullshit. We heard his voice when we got locked in this place, right? There's no doubt in my mind that he is one of Kano's henchmen." Folding his arms, his eyes fixed on Hito's features. Without warning, however, this action made the whole room fall silent. Finally, after a few minutes, Hito reasoned:

"You may have good reasons for believing that I'm working with Kano, but I have evidence from--"

"Kano?" He finished, making the walls reverberate his inquiry. Then, without an answer, he added, "cut the crap, Hito. I'm not buying into anything you're selling. Won't your master be disappointed?" His eyebrow then raised in a sarcastic manner.

Before Hito could answer, Botan, fed up with listening to the two, brushed past Yusuke and caught Hito's eyes. "Kano affiliated with a man who had the ability to use his spirit energy to shape shift into different people before he was succumbed into the void." Hito nodded at her statement, while Yusuke listened quietly. She continued, "I believe he has taken the form of Keiko." This made both men, really Yusuke, accompany a shocked expression.

"What?" asked the spirit detective, his mouth nearly opened to the floor. "Botan....how?"

She ignored him. "BOA caught him a few years earlier than Kano. Can you...track him down?"

"I'm afraid not," Hito put his hands in his pockets, "his DNA is constantly changing from the shape shifts. But, if he currently resembles Keiko, we can track her DNA. It's not a strong lead, but it's something." He turned his back on the odd couple. "Stay here, Urameshi."

Yusuke stepped forward to protest, but then Hito continued: "Relax. I'm going downstairs to call the BOA about Keiko. Once we know where she is, we can find out where Kano is hiding as well. Call it killing two birds with one stone." Opening the door, he stepped out, leaving Botan and Yusuke alone....again.

Botan's eyes shifted to Yusuke's. "Give Hito a chance, Yusuke. I--"

"No, he doesn't deserve a chance." Pacing around the room, he found a seat on the bed. Then, running a hand through his hair, he continued, "he knows too much about Keiko. What if he..." He paused; now looking at Botan. "What if he knows what really happened to Keiko?"

"Are you saying that he may have kidnapped Keiko? Impossible." As soon as the statement left her mouth, she saw Yusuke's eyes flash confusion. Sighing sadly, she added, "why would Kano's henchman go through all that trouble? He only wants the jewel." Her eyes lowered to her pocket, where she reached in and pulled out the Shikasta. Her eyes then shimmered with an unknown emotion. "Unless he's looking for something else.."

"Botan," putting a hand over hers, the spirit detective made her look at him. "What is it?"

"Kano obviously wanted to use Keiko for a reason." The messenger stopped, heaving in a breath of air. "I think Kano wants something from you. He wouldn't use Keiko if he didn't." Closing her eyes, she felt him squeeze her hand. "Oh, Yusuke!" She shook her head, relieving the tears that were trying to escape her eyelids. Then, as Yusuke brought her into a hug, she burst into a paroxysm of tears. "Please...be careful..." she wailed, as she cried into his shoulder. "Please.."

"I will. Now, shhh..." He moved her back and forth--almost rhythmically. Her sobs diminished to a whimper upon this action. "Stop crying. This shirt is dry clean only." He stopped rocking her, knowing she was going to hit him soon. She didn't. She only pulled away and wiped some tears on her sleeve. This effort became a useless one, that is, until he brushed the tears away with his thumb. Her skin was soft to the touch...he noted. A blush crept to his cheeks as he mused, but luckily for him, she was too caught up in her emotions to say anything. "Nothing is going to happen to me, okay?" He asked, now that she had stopped crying.

Nodding, Botan answered: "I'm sorry," she wiped more tears from her eyes, "I always worry about my friends." As she smiled, Yusuke couldn't help but think of the term she used--friends. Were they friends? That kiss between them said otherwise.

"Umm...Botan?" He waited for her to look at him before he continued. She did. Taking a deep breath, he repeated his thoughts...out loud this time. "Are we friends? I mean, that kiss--"

Botan shook her head. "We were probably just caught in the moment," she said hastily. Then, "I'm sure that won't change our relationship, I mean, we're still best friends, right?" Her eyebrow raised at her own question.

"Yeah," he uttered laconically.

Her statement had choked his voice, making it hard for him to answer her question. But, clearing his throat, he decided that it was time to bring up the three words that were swimming in his mind all morning. "Honestly, Botan, I don't know what to think after that kiss. But," he forced himself to look at her. "I think I'm falling in lo--" Before he could finish his sentence, the door opened to reveal Hito. After cursing under his breath several times, he started:

"An itch that won't go away," mumbled the black-haired teen, now standing up. "Well? Anything?"

He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "Keiko is currently on Brich Street." It was then he pulled out his communicator. "12 Brich Street to be correct." Focusing his attention on the communicator for several minutes, he then looked at them. "What's wrong?"

Botan was the first to speak. "That was Kano's old residence."

"Hmm..interesting." His attention went back to the communicator. "Kanouji Akamatsu." After that said, Yusuke could feel Botan shudder though he had his back toward her. He wished he could comfort her, but his mind knew better. Instead, he folded his arms and said:

"If she's there," his hand started to glow with spirit energy, "we're going to have to take her down."

Botan nodded silently. "And my brother must follow..."

* * *

"Ugh, what died in this place?" Stepping into the house for the second time did not make the stench any familiar to Yusuke. He even had to cover his mouth because the smell was so bad. "Are you sure Keiko is in here?"

Hito answered Yusuke's question by taking out his communicator. It made a loud, cacophonous noise as soon as he opened it. "She's close. I can't pick up exactly where she's coming from though." As they walked deeper into the house, the signal started fading rapidly. "Hmm...my communicator is saying that she's around here but.." Turning around he faced it the opposite way. It started beeping rapidly again.

"No Keiko.." Yusuke finished, letting his eyes wander around the house.

"Wait," pointing the communicator to the floor, Hito asked: "is there a basement?"

Botan's eyes lowered to the floor. "Basement and an attic." Her head tilted upward, viewing the dusty light fixture and the paint that was peeling off the ceiling. "It seems no one wants to buy this house after they found out someone died in here." She said unconsciously, giving a half-hearted chuckle. "It was this very room exactly....right next to that table." Yusuke felt his stomach turn as she pointed to the table. Sighing, her arm fell back to her side. "Is she still in the house, Hito?"

"Yes," he started. Then, "maybe we should split up. Botan, go with Urameshi to the attic. I'm heading down to the basement." He turned to take the stairs down, but Yusuke stopped him. "Listen, this is no time for a--"

"How do we know you won't lock us up in here?"

Growling, Hito managed to answer nonetheless. "I'll take Botan downstairs then." Yusuke hated this plan more, but he didn't want to leave Botan to investigate the attic alone. Forcing a nod, he heard Hito say "stay close, Botan," which made his teeth clench together tightly. If he tried to make a move on Botan--wait, what was he thinking? It wasn't like they were together. Botan was free to--no, not Hito. Anything but that perverted bastard.

* * *

"This is stupid," muttered the pissed teenager. "I bet Keiko isn't even here."

Walking upstairs, he opened the door to find yet another dusty room. Putting his hand in front of him, he conducted enough spirit energy to light the room...and then some. Thrusting his fist in all different directions, he felt no spirit energy or the presence of someone, other than him, in the room. "If I had a dollar for every brain Hito didn't have," pausing, he walked into another room. "I'd retire from spirit detecting."

Following the same procedure, he didn't see anything that could cause suspicion. "Maybe I--"

"Botan? Botan? Where are you?!" Yusuke's eyes opened wider after hearing Hito's calls from downstairs. Without thinking, he ran downstairs to see if the girl he left Hito with was still at his side. She wasn't. "Urameshi, I'm sorry....Botan's gone."

* * *

"...she went into one room, and I went to the other. Then, I asked her if she saw anything. When she didn't answer, I walked into the room she was in...but she was gone. I don't know what to make of it...I didn't hear any foul play or anything.."

Yusuke kept a fixed stare. "She just disappeared?"

"Yes," the old man nodded to confirm. Then, "Is it possible that Keiko--"

"Keiko did not kidnap Botan." Yusuke folded his arms, his eyes filled with disbelief. "I'm taking a look downstairs; you couldn't have brought her far." As he walked down the stairs, Hito remained where he was, only examining his communicator. "Well, are you coming? You might as well tell me where she is...I'll find her anyway."

"Keiko was your friend, right?" asked Hito indirectly. Finding that Yusuke wasn't going to respond, he took it for a "yes" and proceeded with the topic he brought up. "When I was under Kano's mind control; I broke free after I stole the Utatane. If Keiko is really who she says she is, she would probably have freed herself from Kano as well."

He thought Yusuke was going to answer him, but instead he whispered "Don't change the subject," and marched downstairs in search of Botan. Sighing, he followed shortly, feeling sympathetic toward the boy who refused to see the wrong Kano has made him to believe is Keiko.

"Where is Botan?!" Yusuke, annoyed by Hito's presence, turned to look at him, but he was too busy with his communicator. "What? Calling Kano?" he asked sarcastically, as he looked around for Botan. Should he be worrying now? Botan was nowhere to be found. Maybe Keiko did--no, he couldn't believe what Hito was telling him.

"We're wasting time."

Yusuke turned around to look at him. "Exactly, so why don't you tell me where Botan is?" Raising an eyebrow, he waited patiently for Hito to respond. Instead, the BOA chief flipped open his communicator and punched in some numbers. "Answer me!" he yelled, now growing more and more worried for Botan's safety.

Finally, after examining his communicator for quite some time, he answered: "She's in Spirit World."

* * *

"Ouch," the blue-haired messenger whimpered, as her eyes focused on the room. "Where am I?" As she looked around the room, Botan could not make out anything to be familiar. The room was dark. Standing up, she moved around the room to find an exit, but the room seemed to have none. "No..." Before she could remember what happened after she entered her old house, she heard the sound of breathing from the other corner. "Hello?"

Scared, she stepped forward. "Can you help me?"

Moving through the shadows, Botan started to notice that the breathing indeed had come from a figure. She couldn't make out the figure, but she knew just from looking at it that the figure was female. It seemed to be sleeping. "Hello?" she asked again. It didn't stir or anything. This gave her enough courage to walk up to the figure and see its true identity.

As she knelt down next to the figure, she built-up enough energy into her palm to light the face of the figure. What she saw caused her to fall back and gape at the perfectly shaped oval face of the figure. Her eyes were closed, but they gave her face a seraphic look. Her hair was strewn over the sides of her head, but this didn't take away the beauty that was...Keiko. "Oh...Keiko..." She moved a strand of hair from her eyes. "Yusuke's been so worried about you." Her bottom lip trembled when she said this, but she forced herself not to cry. After all, Keiko was safe....or somewhere near that.

Before she put Keiko back on the floor, the lights in the room turned on, and a voice appeared on the loud speaker. "How cute, sister. But, there are more important matters than the safety of that girl."

"Why are you doing this, Kano?"

He laughed maliciously. "Doing what? You're only making more trouble for yourself."

"If you want the jewel, I don't have it."

* * *

"Spirit World?" Yusuke stepped back in disbelief. "But.." Taking the communicator from Hito, he reviewed the information. Then, "how did she get to Spirit World? It doesn't make sense."

"This only proves my theory before." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "Keiko's signal faded after Botan went missing." He tapped his cane against the floor. "Remember I told you that Keiko could have kidnapped Botan?"

"Give me a break," muttered the detective. "You're actually right about something?"

"No time for jokes, Urameshi. Botan may be in serious trouble." Looking down at his watch, he cursed under his breath. "We might be too late." As he walked out of the house, Yusuke followed, fuming.

"So, what? You're not going to do anything about it?"

Turning away from Yusuke, he lifted his cane horizontally, and drew an imaginary circle into the air. This circle created a void into the air--almost like a portal. As Hito turned to him he whispered: "who said I'm not going to do anything? This is a portal that links directly to Spirit World."

* * *

"What? What do you mean you don't have the Shikasta?"

Botan smiled, not the least bit afraid of her brother. "Come now, you have telepathy."

"Hmm.." Botan heard a muffled noise, as she felt an unknown pull on her thoughts. He was using his telepathy, and Botan didn't care to say the least. She knew she didn't have the Shikasta. She gave it to Yusuke before they left the hotel with Hito...

".....he only wants the jewel." Her eyes lowered to her pocket, where she reached in and pulled out the Shikasta. Her eyes then shimmered with an unknown emotion. "Unless he's looking for something else.."

"Botan," putting a hand over hers, the spirit detective made her look at him. "What is it?"

"Kano obviously wanted to use Keiko for a reason." The messenger stopped, heaving in a breath of air. "I think Kano wants something from you. He wouldn't use Keiko if he didn't." Closing her eyes, she felt him squeeze her hand. "Oh, Yusuke!" She shook her head, relieving the tears that were trying to escape her eyelids.

Then, as Yusuke brought her into a hug, she burst into a paroxysm of tears. "Please...be careful..." she wailed, as she cried into his shoulder. "Please.." It was then she slipped the jewel into his pocket and pulled away, smiling.

"No!" he growled. "That Spirit Detective has the Shikasta."

"You see," she stood up. "You didn't have to kidnap me. All you had to do was ask me." Smiling, she knew was being obnoxious to her brother. Once she thought about her behavior, she thought of Yusuke. "I know he won't let you have it!"

"We'll see about that." It was then the lights turned off, leaving Botan in darkness.

* * *

It's too easy for him to get into Spirit World, Yusuke thought, as they walked down an alleyway toward a building. And even with that communicator, it shouldn't be that easy to find a missing victim. Giving Hito a side-glance, his thoughts became more and more against the idea of Hito actually helping him find Botan. It seems he's always leaving to do something too. I know Botan believes him, but something about him..

Stopping in front of the building, Hito looked at Yusuke. "This is the place. Botan is in here."

"You know, I lost a pair of underwear a couple of years ago; do you think your communicator can track them down?" Yusuke knew this was a serious situation, but something inside him made him say it to Hito. Maybe he liked watching Hito give him the evil eye.

"Be quiet, Kano has the ability to read minds."

He sure knows a lot about Kano. He nodded. "Sure."

Hito tried to open the door, but the door only made a creaking noise and remained still. "The door won't--" Before he finished what he had to say, a light of spirit energy blinded his eyes and pounded against the door. As a result, the door swung open; the only thing keeping it standing was the bottom hinge. "I said be quiet!"

"You said he had the ability to read minds, so," he paused, taking his first step into the building. Then, "I kept my thoughts quiet." Putting his hands in his pocket, he strided forward into the poorly-lit building. This was so because the building wasn't run by electric. Candles and torches lighted everything. "Looks can be deceiving," the teenager whispered, referring to how the outside looked like an ordinary building yet the interior was all medieval.

"Botan!" Hito yelled, his eyes wandering around the walls and floor. "Botan!"

* * *

"Botan!"

The messenger's eyes widened. "Hito!" she tried to yell, but the room reverberated her outcry. "Oh...Yusuke.." Pacing around the room, she held her chest tightly. Her heart felt like it was filling with pain upon thinking of Yusuke not being able to rescue her. Kano was powerful...

"He'll defeat Kano. He has faced worse enemies." Her thoughts drifted to Toguro, but then flicked back to the current situation. As she steadied herself against the wall, she slid down the wall and hit the floor. Then, knowing that they couldn't hear her, she started crying. "Yusuke..."

* * *

No sign of Botan. What if Hito is leading me into a trap? As if to answer his question, a figure appeared through the darkness of the hallway on the other side of them. Yusuke stepped forward, but pulled himself back once he saw the figure approaching them. "Keiko?" His face softened once he laid eyes upon her.

"Yusuke!" Holding out her arms, she hugged Yusuke, but then pulled away to smack him. "What took you so long? I've been stuck in here ever since I came to visit my parents in Japan. Some stupid--" As her eyes found Hito's, she gasped and hid behind Yusuke. "That's the man that kidnapped me! He took me here and made me become one of Kano's mind slaves." She squeezed Yusuke's arm, obviously terrified. "It was so terrible..."

"I knew I couldn't trust you, Hito," clenching his fist, Yusuke glared at him. "I told Botan not to trust you, but--wait, where's Botan? Where are you hiding her?" As he spoke, his fists started to glow. Then, his entire body.

"I know you don't trust me, but it's important now that you trust my word over hers."

"Yusuke," whined Keiko, now pulling on his arm. "Don't waste your time with him. We have to get out of here! Kano is going to come soon...he will be angry if he sees you." Tugging on his arm once again, he finally turned to look at her.

"Yes, I know. Just give me one moment to deal with the imposter."

Bringing his fist back, he focused the attack on Hito. The BOA chief only stood there, trying to maintain his composure. He knew though that this may be his last day on earth. But, right before Yusuke unleashed the attack, he turned around and hit Keiko straight in the gut. This caused her to fall back a couple of feet, in a state of shock. Once she sat up to look at Yusuke, her features changed into a man who had brown hair and tattoos all over his body.

"How did you know, Yusuke?" Hito finally asked, tightening his grip on his cane.

"Keiko hits harder than that;" the detective joked, but then grew serious. "When I told her about Botan, she didn't seem the least concerned about her. She only wanted to make sure she was safe. That's not Keiko..." He paused, looking at the imposter. "I got another one where that came from."

"Urameshi," Hito spoke up. "I'll handle him. You need to find Botan."

"Right." Nodding, he walked ahead of Hito toward the hallway. He suddenly stopped though. "Thanks Hito. I may not want to admit it, but you've been a big help on this mission." Giving a thumbs-up, Yusuke continued down the hallway...in search of Botan.

* * *

To be continued...

Next chapter is the last chapter! Hope to get it up soon! LOL, review!!


	8. The Decision

Disclaimer: Of course I own Yusuke! Can't you see the ring on my finger? sparkle, sparkle Oh, wait, we're talking about YYH? Oh...well...then I don't own YYH..._yet..._

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I hope you enjoy the last chapter of _To Catch a Thief, _I really put a lot of hard work into it..so...REVIEW! Thanks, it would be greatly appreciated if you did. Hehehe. Well, enjoy the chapter!

Title: _To Catch a Thief_

Chapter Eight: _The Decision _

* * *

_"How did you know, Yusuke?" Hito finally asked, tightening his grip on his cane. _

_"Keiko hits harder than that," the detective joked, but then grew serious. "When I told her about Botan, she didn't seem the least concerned about her. She only wanted to make sure she was safe. That's not Keiko..." He paused, looking at the imposter. "I got another one where that came from." _

_"Urameshi," Hito spoke up. "I'll handle him. You need to find Botan." _

_"Right." Nodding, he walked ahead of Hito toward the hallway. He suddenly stopped though. "Thanks Hito. I may not want to admit it, but you've been a big help on this mission." Giving a thumbs-up, Yusuke continued down the hallway...in search of Botan. _

* * *

"Crap," feeling around the walls of the dark corridor, Yusuke couldn't find a light switch to **negate** the darkness. It was then he realized that he could use his spirit energy to create a source of lumination. "Jeez, I think Kuwabara's been rubbing off on me. I seem to have caught_ his stupid_." Cracking a smile, he was about to create a light source, when his hand came across something that was sticking out of the wall. _A secret entrance perhaps? _

"I wonder where Scooby-Doo and the gang are," he thought, as he pressed the rough object into the wall. Instead of revealing a secret entrance, the hallway lit the way to a door at the end. "I give you an A for creativity, Kano," the black-haired teen shouted, making the walls reciprocate his outcry. "Don't let that make you think I like you though," he whispered, nearing the aperture--or as Yusuke would like to call: "the special door"

"Alright," standing in front of the door, Yusuke couldn't find it in himself to turn the knob. "Anytime now." It was like he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to save Botan and Keiko if he didn't defeat Kano. He would rather die than see them still in Kano's possession. "That's why I'm going to destroy him."

"What are you waiting for then?"

Yusuke didn't need to turn around to know who was standing behind him. It was Hito. The man he had doubted since he had met him inside the Shika Hotel. The man he should had trusted. Sighing, he joked: "Someone else to fight Kano," but Hito found nothing to laugh at. He only stared at Yusuke--almost searching his soul. _What? Did I leave my zipper open or something?, _he thought, about to look down at his pants when Hito said:

"There's no one else who can defeat Kano, Yusuke. Everyone is counting on you."

He nodded. "Great, 'cause I thought you were looking at my--"

"Don't let your emotions get in the way. Kano uses his mind powers to feed on people's emotions," pausing, he took a deep breath. Then, "He knows that he has something that you want. Play his game; after all, you have something that _he wants_." Stepping toward a confused Yusuke, he patted his shoulder strongly. "Be careful."

**Be careful. **

An image of Botan settled into his thoughts. _"I think Kano wants something from you. He wouldn't use Keiko if he didn't.....please, be careful." _God, why did everyone want him to be careful? Did they really have _that_ little faith in him? Or was it that Kano was a stronger demon--wait, he was human. He could defeat him. What were they all worrying about? "I'll be fine," he finally said, putting his hand on the door. Then, in one fluent motion, he twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

"KANO!"

The room was dark. It took Yusuke's eyes a couple of seconds to adjust to the darkness. Then, as his surroundings became more clear to him, he walked deeper into the room, eyes wandering through the darkness. "Come out to play," he whispered, charging his energy, "I have a present for you."

"Me too," a voice boomed.

Looking around, Yusuke couldn't find the person behind the voice. "Come out!"

"Sorry, this game of hide-and-seek is more entertaining."

Yusuke smiled. "You should have watched the Genkai Tournament episodes, Kano, I already been through this once." He paused, eyes wandering around the room. "And I know now that you're hiding....THERE!" Thrusting his fists into the air, he yelled, "SPIRIT WAVE!" and concentrated the energy at his target--Kano.

_Thud._

Kano went down_--or did he? _It was too hard to tell at this point.

"You know, Spirit Detective, you should watch where you are aiming," his masculine voice called through the darkness, "you might accidentally hit one of _them_." As he said this, Yusuke heard the faint footsteps of his **opponent. **

"Them? If you're talking about the place where the sun don't shine--" He stopped. Kano had turned the lights on, and what he saw startled him at first. His limbs and voice went numb just looking at the scene portrayed in front of him.

Two spheres of spirit energy rest in the center of the room; both containing someone precious to Yusuke--Botan and Keiko. On his left, the brown-haired girl known as Keiko lay unconscious within her sphere. To his right, the blue-haired fairy girl stood, eyes pleading at him for release. _"Don't worry Botan, I will free you." _

"Now, Yusuke, do you understand?"

"Yeah," he lifted his hand up, "that I have to use my spirit gun to free them."

"You're energy won't work," he explained, "it's just like the spirit wall."

He frowned. _His spirit gun was useless. _"What do you want?"

"Want?" He paced around the room. "To want is to desire." Again, he paced. Then, as soon as he started, he stopped. "I desire the Shikasta jewel." His eyes fell on Yusuke's angry brown orbs.

"That's not my problem," the teenager answered.

"Ah, but it is," Kano smiled, eyes shining with satisfaction. "You see, you have the one thing I desire, and I aim to take it." Once he said this, he looked over at the two spheres sitting in the middle of the room. "Let's make a trade."

Yusuke's eyes shifted on the thief. He looked exactly how Botan had described him; tall, well-built, and covered in numerous tattoos. The only similarity that he shared with his sister was the irregular blue hair, and that was only partially true because he had dyed most of his head blonde. _"I wonder why....I never heard any blue-haired jokes." _

Sighing, Yusuke turned his attention back to Kano's previous statement. "Trade? A two for one deal? I don't think you're that generous." As he put his hands into his green pants, he added: "What else do you want from me?"

The thief laughed. "I must say, you're very perceptive."

Yusuke was not moved by Kano's compliment. "Or maybe you're just stupid..."

"That may be so, but I_ do _have the advantage."

Yusuke growled. "So, if I give you the jewel, you'll release Botan and--"

"Not exactly," interrupted the thief. Then, almost shouting, he added: "I'll release one girl if the Shikasta is in my possession." While he was talking, he had walked in the middle of the two spheres. "Now, show me that you have what I desire."

"I don't have the stupid jewel," the detective answered, eyes landing on two pink circles. "I--"

Kano growled. "You're pocket."

"My...?" Reaching a hand into his pants, he felt the rough edges of the jewel. "How did you.._know_?" Before Kano could answer, Yusuke added: "If you're trying any funny stuff, like looking into my pants, I'll--"

"Relax," he interrupted, "my sister told me exactly where to find it."

Yusuke didn't look at Botan. Instead, the ground had attracted his attention.

"Now, which one would you like to be released first?"

His eyes hastily caught Kano's. "Only_ one _girl? What about the other?"

Kano smirked. "I'll get to that," he followed his arms, "now...have you reached a decision?"

_I can't choose. _Yusuke eyes shifted from Botan to Keiko. _If I choose one, what will become of the other? _His eyes landed on the ferry girl. _Botan can take care of herself, but her powers are useless in that sphere. And what about Kano? He won't show her any mercy if I choose not to comply with his demands. _

"I choose..."

He turned to his childhood friend. _Keiko has nothing to do with this. I need to make sure she's safe. _As his thoughts struggled to keep rational, he couldn't help but notice Botan's hands against the sphere. The interaction between the energy and her palms caused sparks to spew everywhere. He wondered if he could--

"Well, which one?" Kano repeated, sounding more impatient than ever.

"......Keiko."

* * *

Botan stared at Yusuke. Once again, he had chosen Keiko. _Why? _Was he more worried about Keiko's safety than hers? It was pretty evident that he still had feelings for his friend and would do anything to save her. Maybe the kiss between them was a hasty, yet impassive move as she had said to him earlier.

_"No...I felt him..." _Botan shook her head, desperately trying to discard thoughts of the kiss. She couldn't think about it anymore. What she felt was wrong. He had no feelings for her.

_"Can I kiss you?" _

Yusuke had wanted her though. He had wanted to kiss her.....

_"Then why did he choose....her?" _she thought, now looking at Keiko. _"Was it because he trusted me?" _She shook her head. _"He trusts Keiko more." _Looking at Yusuke, she felt heat rise to her face once she noticed that he was looking at her too.

* * *

_"Botan...I'm so sorry..." _Yusuke tried to channel toward her, as he gazed into her pink orbs. _"I--"_

"Fine choice," said Botan's sibling, with an amused tone. "I favored this one too." Growling, Yusuke was about to say something when he noticed Kano put his palm against the energy sphere, apparently pained with concentration.

With much effort, the sphere dissipated, revealing his _now_ conscious friend. "Yusuke? Yusuke! What's going on? Where am I?" Looking around, Keiko put her hands over her mouth when she saw Botan. "Botan! What happened? I thought--"

"Silence, girl," the thief growled, "you're not free yet." As he looked at her, Yusuke didn't realize until it was too late that Kano was actually penetrating her mind for control. "Now, take the Shikasta jewel from Yusuke."

She turned around, eyes shifted coldly on Yusuke. "Yes master."

* * *

"NO!" Botan sank to her knees, helpless. She couldn't believe that after all that work, Kano would still win. No, it couldn't end like this. She banged her fist against the sphere again, this time receiving a spark of energy. "W-what?" She placed her palm against the sphere again. Sure enough, the sphere reacted to her touch. "My energy won't be enough to break through the barrier, I need--" She paused, eyes shifted on Yusuke.

His eyes landed on hers.

_Yusuke, _she thought, _you need to use your energy to break through his sphere. _She knew he couldn't read her mind, so she tried to demonstrate by putting her hands against the sphere. His eyes widened, seeing the spark of contact. That's when an idea came to his head.

* * *

Yusuke rubbed his finger along the jewel, eyes staring into Keiko's orbs of emptiness. Would his plan really work? "You won't win, Kano," whispered the detective, now giving the Shikasta to Keiko, who was standing before him, palms waiting to possess the jewel. Once he had handed it over, she made her way back to her master.

"On the contrary, Yusuke," he said, eyes gleaming at the sight of the jewel, "the Shikasta is mine; therefore, you lose." Laughing victoriously, he greedily took the jewel from Keiko. "You were no match for me!"

"Not quite!" the black-haired teen yelled, raising his hand. "SPIRIT GUN!"

Kano let out a frustrated sigh, as he created a spirit wall between him and Yusuke's spirit gun. "Don't be stupid, Yusuke," the thief said, once the attack dodged past him, "I have telepathy."

"You're still only human," a feminine voice said from behind. Then, "SPIRIT TUNNEL!"

Before her brother could turn around, a horizontal stream of energy shot through his hand, taking the Shikasta with it. "NO!" he yelled desperately, "my jewel!" His eyes followed the direction of the Shikasta as it dropped to the floor and skidded across the room. Then, turning around, he said:

"I won't let you thwart my plan again, sister!" With anger raging inside him, he used his telekinesis to send Botan into a wall. Then, walking toward her, he sent bolts of energy in her direction. "This time you will pay the ultimate price--death!" He stopped, watching the smoke build around her delicate form. And then she was gone. "Come on, Botan, you can't hide from me." Raising his hand, he let his eyes wander around the smoke.

"Leave her alone, Kano!" Yusuke said from behind, "I won't let you hurt her."

Kano opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Botan, who was still emerged in the smoke. "This is my fight, Yusuke. The BOA wanted to kill him, but I encouraged them to let him live in isolation. I'm the reason he is here today, and it is now my turn to correct my mistake."

"I never knew you cared so much, Botan," he closed his eyes, "guess I'll have to return the sentiment!" Opening his eyes, he thrusted both hands toward the smoke, emitting a heavy amount of spirit energy into her hiding place.

"Botan..." Yusuke whispered, eyes looking on with disbelief.

It was then Kano turned to face Yusuke, lips curved into a smile. "She was no match for me," he held his hand out to show Yusuke the scene behind him. It was Botan's oar, which was lying on the floor--in half. "If her oar couldn't take my power, I wonder....." His hand went to his chin, where he pondered sarcastically.

_'Botan...' _Yusuke thought, staring at the oar on the floor. _'I should have fought him, I could have saved...you...' _Tears welled in his eyes, making his spirit energy increase dramatically. _'I should have saved you...'_ As he thought about Botan, a picture of her flashed through his head. Then, along with her face, came thoughts of their kiss. _'God, I never got to tell you how much....I--" _Clenching his fists, Yusuke's furious gaze shifted on Kano.

"What's wrong? Spirit World can find a replacement."

"SHUT YOUR FACE!" the teenager yelled, eyes glaring daggers. "You just made a big mistake!"

"Bingo! It takes at least three months to find a replacement!"

Yusuke's eyes widened. _'Botan!' _Looking up, his eyes met the cheerful eyes of his infatuation. _'She's....okay..' _ She was sitting comfortably on a new oar she had materialized. Not a scratch was on her. The broken oar must have been a distraction so she could make a get away.

"You should be more careful with the Shikasta, Kano," she exclaimed, pointing in Hito's direction.

She expected him to yell, scream, or even get angry. He only laughed. "You think that's your faithful BOA chief? Why don't you take another look, sister." As soon as her eyes met Hito's, his face changed into the face that had kidnapped her.

"The Shapeshifter..." whispered the teenager, now remembering that he left Hito with the imposter. _'Hito probably couldn't handle the shifter, so the shifter decided to take Hito's form in hopes of getting the jewel for Kano. Damn!' _

"Yes," the thief said, awaking Yusuke from his thoughts, "and now that he has the jewel.....I can move on to the next phase of my plan." His eyes shifted to Yusuke. "I need your spirit energy to unlock the powers of the three jewels."

"What?!"

Kano smirked. "Surprised? Don't be, you're the perfect spirit sacrifice."

"Err....thanks, but I'll pass. I got a hair appointment tonight."

"Save the antics, Yusuke," he said, "I will use force to gain the power of the three jewels."

"Ayumi doesn't like when I cancel," the detective joked. Then, pulling his sleeves up, he added: "I, however, never put down a challenge. Let's go!" Getting into his fighting stance, he waited for Kano to follow. The thief only stood there, laughing.

"Foolish human. Why fight when I already have the jewels in my possession?"

Yusuke growled. "Who says I'm going to let you keep those jewels in your possession?"

"You can't stop me," said the blonde. Then, folding his arms, he said: "Shatsu, hand me the jewel."

"Not this time, Kano!" he said. Then, breaking into a run toward Kano, he yelled: "SHOT GUN!"

As he threw his fist into the air, thousands of tiny specks of energy **emitted **from his fist. Kano tried to create a forcefield, but it was too late. He was thrown into the floor, tears all over his clothes because of the bullets. "Shatsu, you must give me the jewel...." the thief said, getting up slowly. He was getting weak. "SHATSU!" Holding out his hand, his eyes bore into the shifter's.

Shatsu didn't move.

"What's wrong with--" Kano gasped, now seeing the reason why his accomplice couldn't move. Hito. He was standing behind Shatsu, holding his golden cane to the imposter's back.

"It's over," Yusuke said, towering over Kano. "You lose."

"NO!" Using his energy, he threw Yusuke back, and ran toward Shatsu. "The Shikasta is mine!"

Meanwhile, Botan looked at the scene from above. Yusuke was on the floor. Kano was running toward Shatsu. Hito was threatening Shatsu not to give Kano the jewel. "This has to stop. The Shikasta has to be....destroyed."

That's when an idea came to her head....

* * *

To be continued....

I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but it would have been REALLY long. I still have a lot of stuff to cover. ROAR! Hehehe. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their reviews......and if you want to read more Botan/Yusuke, read the YYH stories on my fav stories. They are truly the best. Oh, and if you have any that I have not already put on my favs, just put the fic in your review. I love reading anything Botan/Yusuke.


	9. Caught a Thief

Disclaimer: Don't own YYH...

A/N(1): Thanks for reviews! Final chapter is up! For real this time...laughs Sorry it took so long. Unfortunately, I lose interest in many things I write. Fortunately, though, I finish everything I start. Thanks for being patient.

A/N(2): If you forgot what's happening in the story, here's a slight recap: Yusuke went to find Botan. It turns out Kano has captured both Keiko and Botan. Hito makes a deal with him--the Shikasta jewel for one of them. Yusuke picks Keiko, but then foils Kano's plan by firing a shot to free Botan. Shikasta is thrown to floor, but is picked up by Kano's henchman. Hito stops him, but Kano now has his eye on the jewel. What will happen now?

Title: _To Catch a Thief _

Chapter Nine: _Caught a Thief_

* * *

_"It's over," Yusuke said, towering over Kano. "You lose." _

_"NO!" Using his energy, he threw Yusuke back, and ran toward Shatsu. "The Shikasta is mine!" _

_Meanwhile, Botan looked at the scene from above. Yusuke was on the floor. Kano was running toward Shatsu. Hito was threatening Shatsu not to give Kano the jewel. "This has to stop. The Shikasta has to be....destroyed." _

_That's when an idea came to her head...._

* * *

"I have to get to that jewel before Kano!" Gripping her oar tightly, she flew in the direction of Hito and Kano. _'Hito still has the jewel, I still have a chance to get the jewel.' _

Meanwhile, Kano was getting angrier by the minute. He hated the fact that his plan was being ruined by a dumb spirit detective, a ferry girl, and a mediocre BOA investigator. That was it. He needed to get the jewel back--NOW! "I won't let you send me to Siberia again, Hito! NEVER!" Throwing his hand up, he blasted his remaining energy into Shatsu and Hito. The jewel was still in Shatsu's grasp, though. "No problem, I'll just take it from him."

Stepping forward, he was about to grab the Shikasta when he heard the building of wind currents behind him. Something was moving...in the air. Before he could react, his instincts told him to duck. Throwing himself on the floor, he heard something fly past him.

It was then he realized what--rather, who it was. "Botan!"

"That's right Kano," stepping off her oar, she reached into Shatsu's hand and obtained the jewel. "And next time, don't move. I was aiming for your head." She laughed to herself, knowing that was something Yusuke would say. She _had _been hanging around him too much.

"SISTER!"

Her eyes shifted on his. "What? Afraid to admit defeat?"

"I do not lose. You know that from Siberia. I escaped the portal before the portals of Earth and Spirit World collided. Though I was still isolated in Siberia, I found a way out....and now....YOU WILL NEVER DEFY ME AGAIN!"

Botan prepared herself for one of Kano's attacks. It didn't come from him, though. It came from "KEIKO!" Botan yelled, dodging a kick to the stomach. "What are you--" She dodged another kick to the stomach.

"How does it feel? It hurts having a person you love go against you, huh?"

Botan would have replied, but she was preoccupied by Keiko's countless kicks and punches. _'Yusuke was right. This girl does hit hard'_ Botan thought, once Keiko did connect a punch. _'I have to stop her....even if it means hurting her.' _Grabbing her wrist before Keiko could punch her in the face, Botan twisted it and kicked her on the side. This caused Keiko to drop on the floor.

_'Sorry Keiko,' _the blue-haired girl said, now staring at Kano. "You will be defeated. It's only a matter of time before it sinks into your head." She looked down at the Shikasta, then her pocket. _'Maybe it will sink sooner than he thinks...' _Her eyes shifted on Kano, worried that he'll be able to read her thoughts. _'No, he's controlling Keiko. He can't possibly read my mind.' _She gave a sigh of relief. _'Great. When he's reading my mind, I have a plan. When he's not, I don't have one.' _

Too busy arguing with herself, she didn't notice someone sneak behind her and grab her. Keiko. Pushing the Shikasta into her pocket, Botan struggled out of Keiko's grip. _'Alright Keiko, now you're annoying.' _Materializing her oar, Botan lifted herself off the ground.

"Now sister, you're not playing fair." the thief yelled, using his energy to throw a series of spirit bullets at her. One particular bullet caught her oar, and the contraption disappeared completely.

"AH!" Botan screamed, gravity taking effect. "NO!" As she was falling, her mind drifted off to the time her oar disappeared last time. _'Why couldn't Koenma make ferry girls fly instead of their oars!' _Before she could dwell on Koenma's stupidity, she heard a voice from under her.

"Botan!"

Though she couldn't distinct whose voice it was, she knew that she was safe. And she was. The owner of the voice had caught her. _'I must have nine lives,' _Botan thought, her eyes closed due to the recent events. That's when she felt something squeeze her--"YUSUKE!" Opening her eyes, she smacked him over the head. "You seriously have groping issues!"

He winked at her. "I was only trying to wake you." She growled.

"Ahem."

They both looked at Kano. "Sorry, did we forget about you? Aww! Do you want a hug?" asked a very perverted detective. Kano was not amused. He seemed angry at Yusuke for ruining his plan to destroy his sister once again.

"Why won't you stay dead?!" Kano yelled, his voice booming off the walls.

Yusuke frowned. "You don't like me around? I'm hurt."

"Enough of this!" Kano glanced from one side to the other. "You have no idea the world of hurt you will be in!" Smiling, he added: "Mind slaves, attack these fools."

_'Slaves? I know Keiko was one, but--' _Botan gasped. Shatsu and Hito were now under his control. _'Oh crap, now what?' _She slowly took steps backward.

"Don't worry," said Yusuke, fists raised. "We can take 'em."

Kano laughed. "We'll see about that. Shatsu....change!" As Kano barked his orders, Shatsu, the shapeshifter, changed into Yusuke. Botan went wide-eyed, and Yusuke stood his ground. Then,"Kill them!" was yelled from Kano's mouth.

Shatsu, Hito, and Keiko circled the two. "Why does this always happen to the good-looking guy?"

"Yusuke," said Botan, rather calmy. "Remind me to smack you if we get out of this."

"Right, but in the meantime, we need to fight them. Even if two are our friends, and one is trying to confuse us." He held his fist low, then thrusted it forward to emit spirit bullets. He was using his Spirit Shotgun.

The three hesitated, but remained standing. Yusuke's mouth dropped. "Your feelings for your friends.....they're making your energy confused. Even if you try to attack, your energy won't emit as much as you want it to."

"Are you serious?" Yusuke yelled, running away from Hito. "That's stupid."

Botan frowned, but didn't reply. She was too busy with Shatsu. "Alright, I know you're not Yusuke! I can do this!" Breathing in, she materialized her bat. "HIIIIIIIIIIIIYA!" She started swinging her bat at the imposter, but she couldn't land a hit. "Damnit!"

"Botan watch out!" Yusuke yelled from the other side. "Keiko!"

Before Botan could react, Keiko had scratched her across the face. Shatsu then kicked her with spirit energy. Botan fell to the floor, eyes closed. "Botan!" yelled Yusuke, punching Hito in the face. "That's it, you two need to be stopped!" He ran forward, arm pulled back.

It was then that Botan regained consciousness. She looked at the scene before her. It looked like the imposter was trying to use his spirit punch on Yusuke. She had to stop him. Grabbing her bat, she ran forward. "Take that, you jerk!" Smacking the bat into the imposter's back, Botan smiled triumphantly.

"OUCH! BOTAN! Why did you do that for?"

Botan's jaw dropped. "Yusuke? OH, I thought you were.."--He glared at her--"umm..nevermind."

"Ha! You're pathetic!" Kano laughed. "I can't believe the chief of Spirit World picked you two."

"Sometimes I wonder the same thing," whispered the detective, still glaring at Botan.

Botan cleared her throat. "Well, I'd love to have a staring contest, but we're in danger. Get your lazy ass up." Yusuke cocked an eyebrow up at her use of the word "ass," but got to his feet nonetheless.

"Not my fault one of my teammates knocked me to the floor."

Botan didn't pay attention to him. Instead, she looked at the three enemies, now cornering them. "We can't do this. We have to surrender." Her eyes shifted to Yusuke, who was looking at her.

"Well, uhh.....we might have to. I can't feel my back."

"YUSUKE!" yelled the ferry girl. She couldn't believe that he did not notice the three mind slaves trying to kill them. Did he actually think that Koenma would bring him back a second time?

"Did I hear _surrender_?" Kano skipped over to where they were. "As in, _give up_?"

"Yes, stupid."

Kano ignored Yusuke; looking at his sister. "Well, will you give me the Shikasta?"

"Yes."

As if on cue, Yusuke sent Botan an appalled gaze. '_What are you thinking?,' _the detective thought, now gazing into her pink orbs for an answer. _'I still have some energy to beat these three.' _

"I can't stand to see you use my friends like this." While she was talking, she forced herself not to roll her eyes. After all, she had other reasons to give the Shikasta to her brother. Since the jewel was in her pocket with the glass sample of Mertion, she could fuse them together with some of her energy and give it to him. _'The book I read to Yusuke said that if the other two jewels are fused with Metrion, it's death to the possessor.' _She winced at the word death. Did she really want to kill her brother?

"You were always weak, sister." Kano smiled.

Yes, she did.

"Now, give me the jewel."

Botan only nodded. Searching in her pocket, she located the Shikasta and the Metrion. Gripping the two together, she fused the Metrion into the jewel. Then, pulling the jewel out of her pocket, she held it out for him.

"Yeah right!" Yusuke yelled, eyes glaring daggers. "I won't let you--"

"Yusuke, don't!" Botan pleaded. "We can't stop him!"

Kano grinned. "Thank you, sister." He took the jewel from his sister. Then, he pulled the other two jewels out. "Now, I need your spirit energy, Yusuke. My energy will not be enough to bring the jewels together."

"Why don't you look up your--"

"Yusuke," whispered the blue-haired girl. "Don't. Let him take your energy."

He growled. "No refunds," Yusuke said, holding his hand above the jewels.

Once the transfer was complete, Kano held the jewels above his head. "Utatane, the Hiroyuki, and the Shikasta........unite to form the Signet Ring!" Yusuke and the others only watched as the jewels started to glow. "Yes, make me demon!" As the glow of the jewels made his body turn the same color, one could only surmise the pain Kano was now in. His veins were popping out of his forehead, and his face was contorted painfully. "FORM THE SIGNET!" he shouted again.

Shielding her eyes, Botan watched Kano fall to the floor, hands still holding the three jewels above his head. _"Does Kano realize what--?" _Her train of thought came to halt upon hearing the painful screams of her brother. She closed her eyes to ease her own feeling of guilt, but opened them again upon feeling the warm presence of Yusuke's hand on her shoulder.

She felt the urge to turn around and embrace him, but she refrained. For one, Keiko was there. Secondly, she wanted to see if her plan worked. _If Kano had taken her bait_. Smiling weakly, she placed her hand on top of his to show that she appreciated his support.

But, before she could embark into the waters of Utopian waters, she was jolted back into reality by a moribund scream. It had come from her brother. _'He's in denial. He doesn't realize yet that I--' _

"What have you done, Botan?"

She cleared her throat. "Brother," she started. Then, looking at her dying brother, she said: "You have committed many crimes in your lifetime....but you have never paid for any of them. I knew that if you were sent back to Siberia, you would find a way out....just like last time. I had to....end it." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "when I took the Shikasta from you, I....used my spirit energy to fuse the glass sample I had in my pocket with the Shikasta."

Yusuke's eyebrow raised. _"What is she talking about?" _As he thought about it, it was then he realized what Botan had done. Since the glass sample had the poisonous Metrion on it, she fused the Metrion with the Shikasta.

"Botan, you...poisoned your brother with the Metrion," whispered the detective. Then, soon after, he added, "once the jewels are combined with the Metrion substance, it poisons the possessor." His eyes wandered to Kano's form.

"No," the thief breathed. He had finally met his match. "I never knew it would be my own sister." Coughing, he lifted his body to his knees. "I won't let you defeat me that easy....I won't...." He coughed again.

"You're dying," Botan said, eyes gazing into her next soul to take to Rekai. "This is finally the end."

He laughed. "You....have...no...i-idea..."

"What are you--?" She stopped; letting her eyes travel to where he was looking at. _Keiko. _He was going to use the last of his energy to kill Keiko."Yusuke!" she yelled, now running toward Keiko. Then, "he's trying to use his energy to--"

It was then she heard the sound of Yusuke's spirit gun. Upon turning around, she found her brother face-down on the floor. "Stupid bastard," the detective commented. Then, "even when he's about to die, he wants to wreck the lives of others." He turned to Botan. "Your brother wasn't even human."

Botan didn't answer. She was looking at the dead body on the floor_--her brother_. "How can I still love him when he's committed so many crimes and has even tried to kill me?" She bit her lip.

"He was family. You always forgive family."

She looked up. Not because of Yusuke's words, but because of his tone. It sounded emotionless. "Yusuke? What's wrong?" His bangs were covering his eyes, so she couldn't see his face. But, she saw a tear slide down. "Yusuke?"

"I'm fine. It's just...I killed...a person..."

Botan shook her head, now walking up to him. "No. Don't think like that. You even said that he wasn't even human." She stared at him. Her words didn't penetrate him. "Yusuke, he was about to kill Keiko." Yusuke slightly looked up. "Yes, you did the right thing." She wrapped her arms around him tightly. She hated seeing like this. She remembered when he killed Toguro. "Oh Yusuke.."

As she held him, she felt his hands drop down and grope her. Before she could materialize her bat, he whispered something to her._ I love you_. She froze. There was no way he had **said** what she had **heard**.

He then pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"I...thought...I-I..."

"Yusuke?"

Botan's eyes averted from Yusuke's to see a cheerful Keiko. "Oh Yusuke!" She pulled him into a hug. "I knew you would come! Oh! It was so horrible! He kidnapped me...and..." Going on about her_ struggle_, Yusuke only held her. He wasn't listening, though. He was looking at Botan.

Meanwhile, Botan was thinking about what Yusuke said. _'Could he...?' _She frowned, then shook her head. Upon doing this, she felt the hand of someone rest on her shoulder. She turned around to meet the eyes of Hito.

"You did the right thing. Now the case is officially closed."

"What about Shatsu?"

"Unconscious. My BOA team will come soon and put him in jail."

Botan nodded. "Right."

"HEY! WHAT'S WITH THE DEAD BODY ON THE FLOOR?"

Everyone's eyes widened. It was Koenma.

"Sir, you should take a nap. You're fussy."

"I'm NOT fussy! SHUT UP OGRE!"

"Yes sir."

"Now, would someone please ANSWER my question."

Yusuke stepped forward. "Weren't you spying on us with your big plasma?"

"I would have been, but OGRE lost the remote."

"Koenma sir," Botan started. Then, "Kano had to be stopped. He was going to kill another person when Yusuke used his spirit gun to destroy him. Your father would be angry if he knew a Spirit World criminal had killed a human."

Koenma bit his pacifier. "Indeed. Alright, everyone leave. I'll have one of my ferry girls bring Kano to Rekai."

"No, I'll do it." Everyone grew quiet.

Koenma cocked an eyebrow up. "Are you sure?" She nodded. Yusuke opened his mouth to speak, but Koenma beat him to it. "Yusuke, Keiko, go with Hito. He'll bring you home."

"Looks like someone was potty-trained recently..."

"GET MOVING!"

* * *

"Oh Kano, I hope you will learn from your mistakes. Please use this life as a lesson for the next." Sighing, she let a few tears drop on his face. "You were good. I don't know what went wrong. I just hope that you'll find peace in whatever rotted your good soul."

She cried harder. "Goodbye brother. I will always love you."

_It was then she released his soul into the next world..._

* * *

"Well Hito, it's been fun." Yusuke said, shaking hands with the BOA chief.

Smiling, Keiko added: "Yes, and thank you for bringing us back home.

Hito nodded. "It was good to have you on our side."

"So, what will you do now?"

"Well, my next case is about a Spirit Detective who broke into a man's hotel room."

Yusuke laughed. "Hey, you were under mind control. I had no choice."

"Yes, but I'm missing a pair of pants and a shirt."

Yusuke's mind drifted to when Botan had come out of the shower. "I don't know."

"Well, anyway, I hope to work on another case with you soon."

"Me too," Yusuke affirmed.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me home, Yusuke."

He nodded. "It must look different. You haven't been home in awhile."

"It is awkward, but it's more awkward having you so distant from me. What's wrong?"

He didn't answer. "Things have changed."

"Not between you and me," she leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his head. "Yusuke?"

"I don't love you anymore, Keiko."

Keiko's face dropped. "What? Is it because you didn't get my letters? I told you that my parents didn't give them to you--"

"I'm not that stupid, Keiko. You wouldn't send letters to your parents to give to me. Why can't you just tell me that you found NY to be more interesting than me? OR that you found a guy? OR how about that a dog ate your letters? God Keiko, why can't you just be straight with me?"

She froze. "I didn't know that's how you felt. I would never--"

"Tell me what happened then!"

"When I went to New York, I....started falling out of love with you. But, now that I'm back in Japan, I remembered why I loved you so much. You always protected me. You were always there for me. You always....loved me."

"I can't take you back, Keiko."

"What? Why?!"

Yusuke was shocked by Keiko's pleading, but he stayed strong. "I fell out of love with you, too."

"No Yusuke! You still love me! I know you do!"

"I'm sorry, I don't." He turned away from her. "You will still always be my best friend."

"Yusuke!"

"Goodbye." Without taking another glance, Yusuke walked back to his apartment.

* * *

"Well, today was stupid." Flopping on the couch, he sighed aloud. "I can't believe I told Botan how I felt. She looked so shocked, like if she didn't feel the same for me. I'm so stupid."

"You are stupid. Not because you told me, but because you didn't wait for my answer."

He jumped off the couch. "Botan! How did you...?"

Botan rolled her eyes. "You always leave your stupid window open."

He didn't respond.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you....love me?"

She smiled. "Yes, I love you...and I want to be with you."

"That's the best damn thing I heard all day," he whispered. Then, walking toward her, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "Botan, you're so beautiful." Without hesitating, he kissed her. She then pulled away.

"What about Keiko?"

"Screw Keiko," he found her lips again. "I want you and only you." As he carressed her face, she stared into his loving eyes--almost hypnotized by them. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just....my brother..."

Yusuke's eyes shifted on her. "Did you....ferry your brother's soul?"

"Yes. It was hard, but I'm glad that he'll be finding peace now." Her eyes then found the floor.

"I'm sorry...that I brought it up.."

"No, it's okay." She smiled. "I like you being straight with me."

"Well, in that case, Hito wants his shirt and pants back."

She smacked him over the head. "Oww...that one really hurt..."

"I'm sorry, baby. How can I make it up to you?"

"My room. Now."

"First one there gets to take the other's clothes off."

"SEE YA!"

She laughed as Yusuke ran toward the stairs. "Oh King Enma, thank you....for him..." She smiled, now knowing what it felt like to be in love. She hoped that the feeling never went away.

"I'm halfway there, Botan!"

_"Ha! Does he realize that I'm the one with the oar?' _

* * *

_DONE!! WOOOOOOOO! Thanks for everything! _


End file.
